A centuries-old mysterious shipwreck recently washed up on the Canadian coastline, leaving locals and officials puzzled. The 80ft ship was first spotted by Gordon Blackmore on January 20 while hunting for seabirds on the shores of Cape Ray on the Newfoundland coast. It is believed that Hurricane Fiona dislodged the vessel which is thought to have been built in the 19th century, as per BBC.
Corey Purchase, owner of NiCor Photos posted a drone video on YouTube.
Watch the video here:
''This is a great, great event,'' Neil Burgess, president of the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, told the Guardian.
"If it's oak or beech or a hardwood species like that, it will tell us it wasn't made here in Newfoundland and was probably made over in Europe somewhere. There are databases of shipwrecks we can search for what was recorded as being lost around Cape Ray,'' Mr Burgess told UPI.
He suspects the ship was freed by a combination of coastal erosion and the force of post-tropical storm Fiona, which destroyed homes in the region last year.
A local government team has now been dispatched to assess and preserve the wreck. Meanwhile, the event has sparked a mystery within the coastal community, which has been speculating about the wreck's possible origins. The community's local Facebook page has become a forum for the exchange of suggestions and maritime knowledge from across the globe.
''It is a part of our history that has just been awakened. Some descendants will still want to know the names and the places where their ancestors were lost in the icy waters off our shores. It would be good for all of us if we could offer some history we know and a place for remembrance. At least a marker. This is our history. Let's find out,'' wrote Elizabeth Gover, a resident.
