Massachusetts underwater archaeologists plan to examine and tag shipwreck remains exposed at Nantucket's Miacomet Beach by the Sept. 26 coastal storm, according to the state's October coastal newsletter.
The Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources reviewed photographs from the Egan Maritime Institute and other island partners. The location, wood and fasteners suggest the remains likely came from the Warren Sawyer, a 131-foot schooner, a type of sailing ship, wrecked near the site on Dec. 22, 1884.
Researchers have not yet confirmed which ship the remains came from. The state said the exposed pieces may differ from timbers found nearby in 2022 and 2023.
Tagging through the Shipwreck Tagging Archaeological Management Program would let researchers track individual timbers as they move, emerge and become buried again. Shipwreck remains belong to the state, and collecting or damaging them is illegal, the newsletter said. People who find possible historic objects can use the state's reporting form for shoreline discoveries.
Sources
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, October 2026 newsletter