Whose Anchor Is Buried North of the Flagler Beach Pier?

Timeline

1. Aug 8, 2022

   A man using a metal detector finds an old ship's anchor exposed on the beach north of the pier. The mayor contacts LAMP, and a team arrives that afternoon.¹²

2. Aug 10, 2022

   LAMP returns to take measurements and photographs.²

3. Aug 11, 2022

   LAMP's estimate is published: a 19th-century anchor, most likely from a cargo-carrying ship. Plans are to leave it in place, covered by sand, to preserve it.¹²³

Key facts

Each one checked against a source.

• The anchor was exposed by erosion just north of the Flagler Beach pier.¹³
• LAMP recorded an overall length of 2.49 m, arm length of about 1 m each and 1.56 m fluke to fluke.¹
• Its weight was estimated at between half a ton and one ton.¹
• LAMP estimated it dates to the 19th century, most likely from a cargo-carrying ship.¹²³
• Archaeologist Chuck Meide called it historically significant, 'a lost bit of technology' tied to local history.³
• Rather than remove it, archaeologists recommended keeping it buried in wet sand, the best way to preserve it. Removal and conservation would have been costly.¹²
• Local police secured the site against looting while state archaeologists and city officials coordinated.²
• Florida's Bureau of Archaeological Research asks anyone who finds a historic shipwreck site to contact the State Underwater Archaeologist and not to disturb or remove anything.⁵

Open questions

1. Which ship did the anchor come from, and what was its name?
2. Was the anchor lost in a wreck, or simply cut loose or dropped while a ship rode out weather off the coast?
3. Is there a wreck site anywhere near where the anchor lies?
4. Will a future storm expose it again, and could new imaging or records narrow down its age or origin?