A powerful nor'easter that pounded the Northeast over the weekend scoured away enough sand on Nantucket's south shore to expose a set of large wooden timbers, the latest reappearance of what maritime researchers believe are the remains of the schooner Warren Sawyer, wrecked 142 years ago.
Nantucket resident David DeHart spotted the wreckage near Miacomet Beach on September 26 amid the storm's heavy surf and alerted Jason Graziadei, editor-in-chief of the Nantucket Current, who photographed and filmed the timbers. "It's certainly possible it could be from another wreck, but given the location and appearance, we said it is most likely the Warren Sawyer," Graziadei told NBC News.
A cotton run gone wrong
The three-masted Warren Sawyer ran aground near Miacomet Beach on December 22, 1884, while sailing from New Orleans to Boston loaded with 1,115 bales of cotton and 28 tons of scrap metal. Fragments believed to belong to the same vessel have surfaced repeatedly since erosion first uncovered pieces in December 2022, with more appearing roughly two months later about a half-mile to the west. A 2023 review by the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources concluded the earlier finds were most likely from the Warren Sawyer, though full certainty has proven elusive.
This week's exposure, driven by the same storm system that brought coastal flooding and power outages across New England, is prompting another round of scrutiny. The Egan Maritime Institute planned to survey the site and report its findings to state underwater archaeology officials, continuing a now years-long effort to pin down the wreck's identity with certainty.
For islanders, the timbers have become a familiar, if irregular, visitor: buried by sand for years at a stretch, then briefly bared whenever a storm strong enough to move Nantucket's beaches rolls through. Researchers say the wreckage will likely vanish under the sand again before long, until the next nor'easter brings it back into view.