Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #511

Erosion From Hurricane Reveals Shipwreck On Florida Beach
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
By Ben Hooper
Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A visitor to a north- ern Florida beach discovered the erosion from Hurricane Eta had uncovered something sur- prising in the sand -- a ship- wreck from the 1800s.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program said Mark O'Donoghue was walking
on Crescent Beach after the storm left the area earlier in November when he spotted pieces of the shipwreck peeking out from the sand.
"I just saw some timbers that were uncovered by erosion on the sand on the beach," O'Donoghue told WJAX-TV.
He said he returned the fol-
lowing day and saw even more timbers in the sand, leading him to report the dis- covery to the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program.
Chuck Meide, director of the organization, said initial exami- nations
indicate the dis- covery could be the wreckage of the Caroline Eddy, a U.S. mer-
chant ship that sank in the 1800s.
"Everything we've seen on it so far fits that hypothe- sis: wooden planking, wood timbers, iron fas- teners," Meide
said. "They look quite similar to other ships from the 1800s that we have seen."
He said more research is required before the wreck's identi- ty can be con- firmed.
"In late August 1880, the Caroline Eddy left Fernandina bound for New York with a cargo of lumber. She sailed into a hurri- cane, was driven south and went ashore near Matanzas. Her crew survived after clinging to the rigging for two days and a night," the National Park Service said in a Facebook post.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine