Archaeologists to excavate shipwreck site 141 years after vessel sank

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Maritime archaeologists from the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum’s research arm, Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), began further excavation of a shipwreck site near Crescent Beach on Monday, Aug. 30.

In November 2020, LAMP was notified of a previously unknown shipwreck that had become exposed on the southern end of Crescent Beach. Local beachgoers noticed the wooden wreckage and posted pictures on social media. One person called the museum, stating the wreckage first became exposed after a week of heavy erosion from nor’easters. LAMP Director Chuck Meide visited the site that day, confirming wooden hull remains.

The archaeologists had four days to assess the site and carried out limited test excavation by hand to expose portions of the buried hull to better understand its construction, cultural affiliation, function, and age.

No historic artifacts unrelated to the hull were observed, and a number of samples were collected for analysis and wood species identification.

After a closer look, various features, including iron bolts, one or more wooden treenails, and at least two copper alloy planking spikes, suggested the hull most likely represents a 19th-century merchant sailing vessel.

The timbers were cut to the inch, suggesting the vessel was built in America, Canada or Britain. The hull appears to have been constructed robustly with numerous heavy stringers and thick planking, indicating it may have been intended for the lumber trade or a similar bulky cargo.

Historical research revealed a likely identification for this wrecked vessel, the Caroline Eddy.

The Caroline Eddy was a merchant brig or brigantine built in Brewer, Maine, in 1862, as a Union supply ship during the Civil War. A variety of shipping papers, charter notices, registration papers, insurance documents, passenger manifest declarations, letters, a lighthouse keeper log entry and a diplomatic note related to the history of this vessel have been found. Among these items were a series of newspaper articles from across the Eastern Seaboard that recount the wrecking of this ship in great detail.

In 1880, the Caroline Eddy departed from Fernandina Beach with lumber cargo, heading towards Philadelphia. Unbeknownst to the crew, the vessel was sailing directly into a hurricane.

As the weather worsened, a monstrous wave struck the ship shortly after midnight on the morning of Aug. 30. The devastating wave damaged the vessel, and it wrecked. Stranded offshore, the ship likely broke apart at some point, and pieces of the hull would most likely have come ashore a short distance to the north of the Matanzas Inlet, where the Crescent Beach Wreck is located.

“There’s no way to be certain, but we believe it to be remnants of the Caroline Eddy,” says Meide.

Since the initial excavation, the wreck appears to remain buried, though there have been a few occasions where part of the wreckage became exposed again. This periodic exposure should cease soon, however.

On Monday, August 30, LAMP archaeologists visited the shipwreck site 141 years after the ship sank to begin further excavation before a private contractor, overseen by St. Johns County, replenishes beach sand in the area during early September 2021.

Approximately 150 truckloads of sand will be deposited every day for the duration of the project. This includes the site of the Crescent Beach wreck and should help preserve the hull remains.