Nor’easter unearths fragments of 19th century shipwreck on Nantucket

The powerful nor’easter pummeling the East Coast has uncovered what may be the remains of a 19th century shipwreck on Nantucket’s shore. Jason Graziadei, editor-in-chief of the Nantucket Current, spotted the wooden remnants on the Massachusetts island’s south shore Saturday and posted a video of them. He believes they likely came from the Warren Sawyer, a wooden schooner that wrecked near Miacomet Beach 142 years ago. Fragments believed to be from the same ship first appeared in December 2022, when a Nantucket resident spotted them while biking along the island’s southern shore. Researchers examined archival, photographic, historical and archaeological evidence and concluded that the wreckage was “most likely” from the Warren Sawyer, according to a 2023 report from the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources.

The three-masted schooner wrecked there on Dec. 22, 1884, while traveling from New Orleans to Boston with 1,115 bales of cotton and 28 tons of scrap metal, the report said. More wreckage believed to be from the schooner appeared in February 2023, about a half-mile west of the first find, according to the report. “As far as I know, it’s the first time a piece of the wreck has resurfaced since 2022, early 2023,” Graziadei told NBC News on Sunday. “It’s certainly possible it could be from another wreck, but given the location and appearance,