A ghostly shipwreck has emerged in Newfoundland, and residents want to know its story

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The massive, overturned hull of a seemingly ancient ship has appeared without warning along the southwestern tip of Newfoundland.

Wanda Blackmore says her 21-year-old son, Gordon, came roaring into her house last Saturday morning after spotting the long shadow beneath the water just off the beach in Cape Ray, N.L.

Blackmore says as soon as the tide went down later that morning, she put on her jacket to go see it for herself.

She says the ghostly wreck has been drawing a steady stream of admirers, with residents fascinated by the wooden dowels that seem to be holding it together — indicating the vessel may be centuries old.

Blackmore says she’s been writing to shipwreck experts, to Memorial University’s Maritime Archive and even to the premier in hopes that experts can be dispatched to date and name the boat, and perhaps even preserve it.

Corey Purchase, a drone photographer who has been posting images of the wreck on social media, says the ship has a kind of haunted feeling that leaves him thinking of the people who may have been aboard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press