Graveyard of the Atlantic mysteries uncovered on local beaches.
As the late season nor’easters have raged across the Outer Banks, wind and waves have stripped away the sand covering the wooden skeletons of shipwrecks. Writing for the The Virginian-Pilot, Jeff Hampton tells the story.
“Recent storms have exposed Outer Banks shipwrecks as usual, but at least one set of weathered remains may be on display for the first time.
Parts of an old wooden vessel appear from under the sides of a dune cut away by the surf, not far from beach access ramp 27 north of Avon. The Civilian Conservation Corps could have placed it there as part of dune building in the 1930s, said Nathan Henry, a shipwreck expert for the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch. It could be one of 10 ships that went down or crashed ashore a century or more ago.
“Hopefully the new piece will exhibit something to indicate its origin,” Henry said in an email. “Time will tell how large it is.”
Nearby, a single craggy beam resting on a dune shows construction with iron spikes as well as wooden pegs. That may be part of a different wreck, Henry said.”
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