New Nantucket Wreckage Reveals Mystery Ship, Not 1884 Warren Sawyer

A powerful nor’easter on Nantucket’s shore exposed a 50‑by‑11‑foot wooden hull fragment that had been assumed to belong to the 1884 schooner Warren Sawyer. In late September, officials identified the wreckage as the Warren Sawyer, a three‑masted vessel that had carried cotton and scrap iron from New Orleans to Boston before grounding on December 22, 1884. However, a recent assessment by the Egan Maritime Institute and the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources found the beams’ larger ribs, different wood species, and newer iron fastenings do not match the previously documented remains. The fragment likely comes from a large merchant vessel—perhaps a schooner barge—dating to the late 19th or early 20th century, though its exact identity remains unknown. Researchers are now combing historical records to narrow possible candidates, while the site has become the first in Massachusetts to receive a public‑tracking tag under a shipwreck monitoring program. The discovery highlights the importance of careful documentation and preservation of underwater cultural heritage.