Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Severe winter storms have struck most parts of the United States in recent days, leading to cold and dangerous weather conditions.
But in Maine, where record-breaking storms caused severe flooding, weather helped uncover a 112-year-old shipwreck in Acadia National Park.
The schooner “Tay” ran aground on Mount Desert Island in July 1911, resulting in the death of the ship’s cook.
The boat leaked during a storm, according to an old article that circulated shortly after the wreck appeared in the Bar Harbor Record newspaper.
The boat’s captain, I. W. Scott, of St. John’s, tried to anchor it to no avail.
According to the article: “The mainsail rope broke, and Captain Scott attempted to anchor offshore, but the boat drifted toward the breakwater.”
The article continued: “The boat was hit hard and disintegrated from the front and back upon impact, and quickly collapsed.”
The Tay shipwreck draws visitors to Sand Beach in Acadia National Park.Credit: Molly Moon
Some visitors to Acadia National Park were able to see a large portion of the impressive ship’s hull on a sandy beach on Mount Desert Island, after a storm on January 10 brought the wreckage to the surface.
Bar Harbor resident Molly Moon went to the beach at low tide Thursday, the day after the storm, to take photos of the wreckage at sunset.
“It was a rare experience to glimpse the history that has been buried under our noses for more than a hundred years,” Moon told CNN in an email.
She continued: “I was reminded of how lucky I am to live in this beautiful area and to be associated with the rich history here.”
Moon is not the first person in her family to witness the appearance of debris.
She said: “My grandmother saw parts of it discovered in the 1950s, my mother saw the structure discovered in the 1970s, and I was lucky enough to watch it return from under the sand now in 2024.”
As weather conditions worsened over the weekend, the sea appears to have recovered some of the debris.
As for Ben Sprague, he took his family to look at the remains of the ship on Monday, after hearing news about it through social media platforms and news reports.
Sprague, who was not aware of the shipwreck before it came to light last week, noted that the wreck remains in very strong condition despite its disintegration.
“It’s so amazing to think about all the times you’ve gone to the beach and walked on the sand over a shipwreck without even realizing it,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
Acadia National Park did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for more information.
The park, established several years after the shipwreck, is located mostly on Mount Desert Island, the largest island off the coast of Maine. According to a notice on the park’s website, “extensive damage” was caused throughout the park due to the January 10 storm.
According to a Bar Harbor Record newspaper article from 1911, there were 6 crew members aboard the Tay, plus the captain and his son. Chef J.B. Webley died in the wreck.
According to the Bar Harbor Record newspaper, the ship was carrying lumber from St. John’s to Boston. The planks carried under the ship’s deck had washed ashore.
According to the National Parks Administration website, the ship’s crew took refuge in the summer home of a local family after they were able to reach shore. The family built a boat house using reclaimed wood to honor the shipwreck.
While the shipwreck has revealed itself before, this was the first time in decades, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The century-old wreck is not the only state historic site affected by recent storms, as floods in South Portland washed away several historic fishing huts.
2024-01-17 13:11:08
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