The Nameless Merchant Ship of Daytona Beach Shores

Timeline

1. September 2022

   Hurricane Ian causes severe beach erosion along the Volusia County coast.¹²

2. November 2022

   Hurricane Nicole causes more erosion, collapsing homes and seawalls in Daytona Beach Shores.¹⁶

3. November 2022

   Over Thanksgiving weekend, beachgoers and lifeguards spot exposed wooden structure on the beach.¹²

4. Dec 5, 2022

   Florida Department of State says its Bureau of Archaeological Research is coordinating with local authorities and that the debris is likely a merchant ship from the 1800s.³

5. Dec 6, 2022

   Archaeologists excavate, measure and sketch the structure (about 80 to 100 feet long) and decide to leave it to be reburied naturally.¹²⁴

Key facts

Each one checked against a source.

• The structure was exposed by erosion from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole and spotted over Thanksgiving weekend 2022.¹²
• Archaeologists measured it at roughly 80 to 100 feet long.¹²
• Joints, ribs and curved timbers point to a privately owned 19th-century merchant ship, likely a coastal cargo carrier.¹⁴
• Florida's Bureau of Archaeological Research coordinated with local authorities to protect the site.³
• Removing artifacts from an archaeological site without authorization is a third-degree felony in Florida, the state said.³⁴
• LAMP's director said the plan was to let nature rebury the wreck to preserve it, not to remove it.¹²
• The vessel has not been identified by name.⁴

Open questions

1. What was the ship's name, and when was it lost?
2. What cargo was it carrying, and where was it headed?
3. Did wood samples or construction details narrow down where or when it was built?
4. How much more of the hull remains buried beyond what was exposed?