Weeks of rough surf and persistent wind stripped away enough sand on a New Jersey beach to expose the wooden remains of a long-lost ship, the Lawrence N. McKenzie, a 98-foot schooner built in 1883.
As Gizmodo first noted after spotting a post from Island Beach State Park’s Facebook page, the wreck sits between the waterline and the higher erosion line, its old timbers still pinned together with thick iron nails, like a skeleton that refused to stay buried. The Lawrence N. McKenzie was a two-masted sailing ship with a homeport in Provincetown, Massachusetts. When it ran aground off the New Jersey coast, it was traveling north from Puerto Rico to New York City, hauling a cargo of oranges. Unfortunately, the oranges did not survive the 143-year ocean slumber. Though I do wonder how many of them the sailors ate to fend off scurvy.
What did survive the wreck, however, were the crewmembers — all eight of them.
According to Island Beach State Park officials, the ship’s sudden reappearance is the result of a routine seasonal cycle. Winter storms remove sand from the shoreline, narrowing beaches. Most of that sand returns during calmer summer months. Occasionally, though, erosion peels back the coast just enough to reveal what’s been hiding underneath for more than a century. Most of the time, it’s nothing. But sometimes, it’s a shipwreck from 1883 that once carried a bunch of Puerto Rican oranges.
For now, the remains of the Lawrence N. McKenzie are still visible, and park staff are monitoring the site. Visitors are being reminded that historic artifacts aren’t souvenirs, so if you’re in the area, please don’t try to make off with a chunk of a historically significant shipwreck. Touching or removing pieces of the wreck is prohibited and can earn violators a summons from New Jersey State Park Police, though I do sympathize with the desire to unleash your inner pirate and commandeer the vessel for yourself.
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