Last week, Florida beachgoers discovered a huge mysterious object on the Daytona Beach Shores that left even Volusia County Beach Safety puzzled.
Now, archeologists believe the mysterious object was the buried remnants of a 19th-century shipwreck.
The large mysterious object was first spotted last week after beachgoers noticed massive pieces of wood sticking out of the sand.
The structure was unearthed due to extreme beach erosion caused by hurricanes Nicole and Ian earlier this year.
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Archeologists from the St Augustine Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program (LAMP) began investigating the object, which was believed to be 80 to 100 feet long.
Using shovels, trowels, and their hands, the team unearthed the massive object to reveal the frame of a ship.
Chuck Meide, a maritime archeologist and director of the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program confirmed to AP that the structure of the object was consistent with a ship.
\u201cHere are some more photos of the object that\u2019s been unearthed on the beach just south of Frank Rendon Park.\n\nArcheologists are here for their final day unearthing it.\n\nThey believe it is a ship. Possibly carrying cargo off the coast of Florida during the 1800\u2019s.\u201d— Mike Springer WFTV (@Mike Springer WFTV) 1670348358
“Whenever you find a shipwreck on the beach it’s really an amazing occurrence," Meide told AP. "There’s this mystery, you know. It’s not there one day, and it’s there the next day, so it really captivates the imagination."
Meide believes the ship was a cargo ship from the 1800s.
"It would have likely sailed within sight of the coast and used lighthouses for navigation, though it was probably big enough to cross the Atlantic as well,” he told WFTV9.WFTV9.
\u201cIt could have been wrecked during a storm.\n\nState archeologists will analyze the material to get a better idea of its age.\nBut due the materials and construction of the ship and the number of ships sailing off the coast, archeologists believe the 1800\u2019s is the most likely era.\u201d— Mike Springer WFTV (@Mike Springer WFTV) 1670348450
Since beachgoers discovered the shipwreck two weeks ago, tides have reburied parts of it.
However, that is not of concern to Meide or Volusia Beach Safety as they hope the ship can become reburied in order to protect and preserve it.
Removing the shipwreck could be costly and cause it to break.
For now, the archeology team will take measurements, draw it, and take wood samples to test for its orgins.
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