An unknown sunken ship washed up on the Canadian coast (10 photos + 1 video)
4 February 2024
A bird hunter spotted the remains of a 25-meter vessel off the coast of Newfoundland. According to experts, the ship, which sank in the 19th century, was washed ashore during a recent post-tropical storm. 
The ghostly vessel appeared off the coast of Cape Ray on the Newfoundland coast and is believed to have been washed up by post-tropical storm Fiona.
The 25-metre craft was spotted by local bird hunter Gordon Blackmore. He first noticed the large shadow looming under the waves on January 20.
“It’s amazing, there’s no other word for it,” Blackmore, 21, said. “I’m just wondering if they can find out the name of the ship, how old it is, and if there were any lost souls on it.”
The vessel is believed to date back to the 19th century due to the use of wooden pins in its construction. The length of the vessel suggests that it may have been larger than a schooner, but not much is known about its origins.
“This is a great, great event,” says Neil Burgess, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Wreck Preservation Society. “If it is oak, beech or other hard wood, then this indicates that the ship was not made here in Newfoundland, but most likely in Europe.” There are shipwreck databases where we can look up what has been recorded as occurring in the Cape Ray area.”
He suspects the ship was freed and lifted from the seabed as a result of coastal erosion and a tropical storm that hit the area, damaging more than 100 homes.
A team of local specialists was sent to assess and preserve the wreck.
But they are out of step with the times, as the international attention the ship has attracted has already led to the recovery of artifacts from the wreck. There are also fears that the vessel could become engulfed in sea ice or blown back into the depths during strong winds.
Cape Ray has a population of about 350 people and used to be on a high-traffic shipping route.
The coast of Newfoundland is believed to be littered with the remains of thousands of ships that wash ashore from time to time.
Among local residents who are desperately trying to find out the history of this place, there are various guesses. The Cape Ray community page has become a forum for sharing speculation and maritime knowledge from around the world.
Island resident Bert Osmond took it upon himself to monitor the wreck daily, the page said. Photos showed him and other residents tying a rope around the ship to prevent it from floating away.
“This story has spread around the world and we hope we can protect the wreck so officials can document it,” Anne Osmond wrote on the page. “We want to thank Bert for keeping an eye on this piece of history every day, as well as everyone else who helped and brought ropes to secure it.”
This is not the first time an old ship has surfaced. In March 2023, a Massachusetts woman came across the remains of an 1884 shipwreck on the beach, 140 years after it sank in a monster storm en route to Boston.
And in the UK, after severe storms in the coastal city of Cornwall, a sunken ship was found - 130 years after it sank to the bottom.
