Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom

YORK — The skeleton of an old shipwreck surfaced on Short Sands Beach this week, attracting quite a bit of attention, storytelling and awe.

The wreck was uncovered when the Patriots Day nor'easter's high tides and rough surf displaced several feet of beach sand.

Virginia Spiller of the Old York Historical Society recalls having seen it "some time in the 1960s." Other residents recall having glimpsed the wreck in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.

"It doesn't come out very often. It is really neat to see," said Brett Horr, York's GIS manager.

According to Peter A. Moore, writer of a history column for The York Weekly, when an April nor'easter ravaged York's beaches in 1958, the shipwreck surfaced to similar astonishment and speculation.

York residents interested in maritime history, model boat builders and others took photographs and measurements and held a meeting to discuss the wreck. They concluded that it was a "pinky," a type of fishing vessel also known as a pincke or a pink. Boats of this type had a high, narrow stern and square rigging. They were easily maneuverable along the rocky coast of Maine and were a popular fishing and cargo vessel during the 18th century.

Interestingly, "Boon Island," a popular novel written by Kenneth Roberts, was published in 1956 — just two years before the appearance of the wreck on Short Sands Beach. The book is a historical novel about the wreck of the British ship, the Nottingham Galley, on Boon Island in 1710.

In the novel, the Nottingham's crew is rescued from the island by a pink. The captain of the Nottingham, an unabashed fan of New England and Yankee ingenuity, recognized the rescue boat: "'That's a pink,' Captain Dean said in a strangled voice. 'Nothing like 'em to nose in and out of a rocky coast.'"

One of the members of the 1958 committee voiced that he felt there was a connection between the wreck on Short Sands Beach and the novel, which he and the other members had probably read.

In fact, the wreck was identified when a spring nor'easter uncovered it in 1980. Archaeologist Warren Riess, now at the University of Maine's Darling Center in Walpole, tentatively identified the wreck as a sloop of about Revolutionary War age. It has been mapped and identified as archaeological site ME 497-004. Further study is needed to expand on this identification.

"As such, it is a significant archaeological site," said Arthur Spiess, senior archaeologist with the Maine Historical Preservation Commission. Spiess went on to say, "A major dig would be a useful and interesting thing to do — probably just to look in more detail at the ship's structure and construction, since small artifacts and cargo are probably gone."

Unfortunately for the curious, a major dig on Short Sands Beach would be difficult and costly. Until resources are available, the Historical Preservation Commission likes to leave sites such as this one untouched for future archaeologists.

There is a lot of work in York for future archaeologists. According to Town Planner Steve Burns, "York has 67 shipwrecks. Only 28 have been located and 39 have not been located."

The boat skeleton is only visible at low tide and will soon be returned to its sandy grave as the beach is restored.

York Police Officer Scott Randall warns that people should "not go near it" for safety reasons and because it is a violation of Maine law to disturb archaeological sites such as shipwrecks.

Spiess recommended that if anyone finds what appears to be a shipwreck, he or she should immediately notify the town planner.


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