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Nor’easter unearths pieces of 19th-century shipwreck in Massachusetts
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- A recent nor’easter storm in New England has exposed large segments of the 19th-century schooner Warren Sawyer, which shipwrecked near Nantucket in December 1884.
- The Warren Sawyer ran aground while carrying cotton and scrap iron from New Orleans to Boston; its crew was rescued, but the ship broke apart after weeks on the shoreline.
- The Egan Maritime Institute is investigating the newly revealed timbers and plans to report findings to state archaeologists, though confirmation that the wreckage is from the Warren Sawyer is pending.
- Nantucket’s waters, known as a “graveyard of the Atlantic,” have seen over 750 shipwrecks in the 19th century due to hazardous shoals and weather, with remnants of the Warren Sawyer previously documented on nearby beaches.
- Authorities urge the public not to disturb the wreckage, as Massachusetts law protects underwater archaeological resources from removal or damage.
