A storm revealed the remains of a 19th-century shipwreck off Nantucket, and the editor who reported it last time went back to confirm it. Jason Graziadei, editor-in-chief of the Nantucket Current, received a tip from an island resident named David DeHart. DeHart had found the ship’s remains on a south shore beach called Point of Breakers. Graziadei drove out with his son Owen and confirmed the find.
The timbers, in the shape of a hull, were in the same spot as fragments found in 2022.
The 1884 Wreck of the Warren Sawyer
The Warren Sawyer was a cargo ship carrying bales of cotton and scrap iron from New Orleans to Boston. It crashed on the night of Dec. 22, 1884. Local newspaper The Inquirer and Mirror reported that the captain and crew were rescued within hours.
Islanders later salvaged much of the cargo.
Robinson, director and chief archeologist for the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archeological Resources, inspected the 2022 findings. He spent several months researching alongside the Egan Maritime Institute and the Nantucket Historical Association. He determined that the remnants likely belonged to the Warren Sawyer.
“As with most historical archaeological research, exploring the available literature, archival, photographic, and archaeological evidence we collectively assembled for the site to try to arrive at a conclusive determination as to whether or not the wreckage is from the tern [sailing vessel], Warren Sawyer.”
How the Ship Surfaced
The storm stripped away sand that had buried the wreck. The wooden timbers, shaped like a hull, emerged in the same spot where they were found in 2022. That consistency is the key detail.
Graziadei, who covered the discovery of the wreck several years ago, believes it is extremely likely these remains are from the same ship. He told NPR via email that he finds it fascinating to see and touch a piece of Nantucket’s maritime history from 1884.
He added that it is incredible to think the wreck sits in a spot on the shore where cars were literally driving over the beach this summer.
What Robinson Found
Robinson’s conclusion was based on archival records, photographs and physical evidence from the site. The 2022 research process took months, and it involved multiple institutions.
The Nor’easter exposed the wreck. The sand simply moved away, and the timbers appeared.
Graziadei’s return visit confirms what Robinson concluded in 2023: the remains are almost certainly those of the Warren Sawyer. The wreck has surfaced twice, and both times the identification held.
The ship was carrying cotton and scrap iron. Its crew was rescued quickly after the crash. The cargo was salvaged by islanders.
The Nor’easter stripped away sand and revealed what was underneath. The result is a tangible link to a moment in Nantucket’s past, visible to anyone walking along the shore.
- The wreck was buried under sand.
- The storm stripped away the sand.
- Wooden timbers in the shape of a hull emerged.
- They matched the 2022 findings.
- The Warren Sawyer was identified again.
The wreck is a reminder that history is not locked in books. It can surface in the sand, waiting for a storm to reveal it.
Source material: “Nantucket shipwreck uncovered by Nor'easter,” NPR.
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