Storm reveals possible 1884 shipwreck on Nantucket beach
A recent Nor'easter exposed wooden timbers on Point of Breakers that researchers believe belong to the 1884 schooner Warren Sawyer, which sank off Nantucket while carrying cotton and scrap iron.
Heavy winds and high seas from a weekend Nor'easter uncovered wooden timbers on Nantucket's Point of Breakers beach, prompting speculation that the remains are part of the Warren Sawyer, a cargo schooner that sank in December 1884. The tip came from resident David DeHart, who reported the visible hull-shaped timbers to local newspaper editor Jason Graziadei. Graziadei confirmed the location matched ship fragments documented in 2022.
At that time, David Robinson, director of the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, examined the debris with the Egan Maritime Institute and the Nantucket Historical Association. He concluded the wreck likely belonged to the Warren Sawyer, which was en route from New Orleans to Boston with bales of cotton and scrap iron when it ran aground on Dec. 22, 1884. Contemporary reports said the crew was rescued within hours and much of the cargo was later salvaged by islanders.
Robinson noted that researchers reviewed literature, archival records, photographs and archaeological evidence to assess the identification. Graziadei, who covered the earlier discovery, said the exposure of the wreck offers a tangible link to Nantucket's maritime past.