Shipwreck yet to reveal any historical significance
Provincial archeologist Jamie Brake says there may not be much new to learn from sunken vessel, but locals have started fundraiser to salvage it
CORNER BROOK, N.L. — Newfoundland and Labrador provincial archeologist Jamie Brake says he won't hinder anyone with good intentions trying to salvage the shipwreck at Cape Ray, but there's nothing yet to indicate it is a historically significant artifact.
The piece of overturned wooden hull measuring more than 100 feet in length appeared in the breaking waves of the sandy shoreline near Cape Ray in southwestern Newfoundland in January.
It has since caught the attention of locals and international media alike and many have been wondering about its origin and the story it could potentially tell.
Brake was with a team of experts representing the Provincial Archeological Office and the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador who visited the site this past weekend. They collected samples of the wood used to construct the hull, along with wooden and metal fasteners used to hold the vessel together. Samples of bark left on some of the wood, as well as a mortar-like material and pitch used to seal and waterproof the vessel, were also retrieved.
In a Zoom call with various media on Tuesday, Brake said it could be months before those tests yield any further clues to where the ship came from or its fate.
Testing of the materials is being done in Newfoundland and Labrador, but Brake said his office will seek expertise beyond the province if it is needed.
BREAKING UP
In the meantime, waves continued to batter what's left of the ship Tuesday.
Despite efforts of local residents and a team from the Clean Harbours Initiative to tie the hull on so it isn't lost to the sea, pieces of the ship have been coming off.
Fortunately, those loose pieces have been washing up on the shore, which helps any effort to salvage them in hopes the remains of the boat can be retrieved and used as a local tourist attraction.
Brake said that given the location of the wreck in breaking surf it's going to be impossible to remove it from the water without it breaking apart anyway. So, as long as it's being done with the view of preserving it for the community's benefit, he has no issue with people moving pieces to a safer location on the beach.
“The Provincial Archeology Office is not going to stand in anybody's way there in terms of attempting to get this above the high-water mark,” said Brake.
FUNDRAISER STARTED
With the province not about to step in and save the wreck, local residents have begun a GoFundMe fundraiser to gather the resources needed to do the job.
The fundraising effort, spearheaded by Anne Osmond, has a goal of $500,000.
“We believe this shipwreck drifted into Cape Ray for a reason and we want to help tell its story,” Osmond wrote on the fundraising website.
She said the wreck will act as an economic boost to the southwest coast region once it has been recovered, preserved and put on display
“With the financial shortcomings that come with a small community, it would be greatly appreciated if everyone could come together to help us recover, transport and preserve this unique piece of history,” the account, titled Rescuing The Cape Ray Wreck, stated.
With just $125 to its credit as of late Tuesday afternoon, the fundraising effort has a long way to go to reach its goal.
JUST ANOTHER SHIP?
While it's still just a guess, Brake believes the vessel is from the 19th century.
While that sounds old and it was a big ship, he said there are actually many wrecked ships of that vintage around Newfoundland and Labrador.
He said there are thousands of wrecks around the province, with about 800 of them having been registered. Of those, about 700 date back to about the time the wreck in Cape Ray is believed to have sailed.
“If we're right about the general ballpark age, this is a time for which we have lots of archival records,” he said. “There's a lot known (about ships from this era) and we're probably not going to learn a whole lot more about the timeframe involved by studying this particular wreck in detail.”
He said the wrecks that have been of significant historical interest are earlier ones that can be learned from, such as the San Juan — a 16th-century Basques fishing galleon found in the waters of Red Bay in southern Labrador and which sank there in 1565.
Brake acknowledged that the wreck at Cape Ray could still have an interesting story to tell and he understands why the local residents want to retrieve it and preserve it regardless of whether or not that story can ever be uncovered.
Documenting it with photos, videos and sampling of the materials it was built from will all help the goal of developing the wreckage into a tourism attraction if it is pursued.
“They're approaching it with great respect,” he said of the local residents who have taken interest in the wreck. “They're in touch with us and their intention is to be stewards of this and to interpret it as well as they can. If new information comes to light about it that can be added to the interpretation, then … we (will) have a record of what was there.”