Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Ike Uncovers Mystery Shipwreck

Wooden wreck on Alabama beach could be remains of Confederate schooner

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 20, 2008 5:44 AM CDT

(Newser) – The waves of Hurricane Ike uncovered a wooden shipwreck on an Alabama beach that experts think could be a Civil War schooner, the Mobile Press-Register reports. The wreck's length matches that of the Monticello, which ran aground in the area in 1862 while trying to sneak past the US Navy on a run from Havana.

Other clues indicate that the ship, full of rusty iron fittings, may be the wreck of a schooner lost in the area in 1933. Curious tourists have been flocking to the beach and archaeologists are keen to dig up the wreck for a closer look. "It's a valuable artifact," one said. "They need to get this thing inside before it falls apart or another storm comes along."

[Images (1)]

[Videos (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

People look over the wreck of a wooden ship uncovered by Hurricane Ike on a beach in Fort Morgan, Ala., Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Video of a wooden shipwreck that was exposed by the high surf of Hurricane Ike. The wreck was also partially exposed by Hurricane Camille in 1969. (pdossjr)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

The Monticello is by far the most likely candidate. You can never be 100% certain unless you find the bell with 'Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits. - marine archaeologist Shea McLean

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Captain Morgan's Ship Found, Thanks to Rum

Best marketing move ever?

(NEWSER) - How’s this for marketing genius: Archeologists are reasonably certain they’ve discovered one of the lost ships of infamous privateer Henry Morgan—in an expedition financed in part by Captain Morgan rum. “There’s definitely an irony in the situation,” one archeologist tells Discovery News . Morgan lost five ships in his raid on Panama City in 1671, including his flagship. Now, divers have found the starboard hull of one of them near the Lajas Reef, along with some crates of cargo. More»

25% of Us Have More Sympathy for Confederacy

And 40% of white Southerners feel the same way

(NEWSER) - Today marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and it looks like the conflict is still dividing the country. In a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released today, roughly 25% of Americans said they sympathized with the Confederacy more than the Union. Among white Southerners, that figure soars to nearly 40%. Among all respondents, a full 42% said slavery was not the main reason the South seceded. More»

Battlefield Recounts May Rewrite Civil War History

Virginia could overtake North Carolina in number of soldier deaths

(NEWSER) - With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War approaching, North Carolina and Virginia have commissioned official recounts of how many soldiers each state lost in battle. What sounds like a humdrum exercise is producing surprising results, reports the Wall Street Journal : North Carolina has long laid claim to losing the most men in uniform: 40,275, according to the 1866 count. That number will surely decline by thousands. Virginia, meanwhile, is at 31,000 and still counting, far exceeding its original total of about 15,000. More»

Textbook Says Thousands of Slaves Fought for South

Author Joy Masoff read about it on the Internet

(NEWSER) - A Virginia 4th-grade textbook has come under fire for claiming that thousands of slaves fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War—something an overwhelming majority of historians say isn’t true. The book’s author, Joy Masoff, isn’t a trained historian, and says she did most of her research on the Internet. She attributes the claim—which critics say is often used to downplay slavery as a cause of the war—to a website from the Sons of Confederate Veterans. She tells the Washington Post she’s sticking by it. More»

US, France Scuffle Over 1679 Shipwreck in Great Lakes

Vessel was likely on Louis XIV's orders

(NEWSER) - The state of Michigan, French officials, and an American diver are battling over a wreck discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan that's believed to be a French ship laden with furs and muskets on a mission for King Louis XIV. The Griffin, launched by famous French explorer La Salle on orders from the Sun King, went down in a storm in 1679. Michigan claims the wreck belongs to the state, but that claim is being challenged in court. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Ike Uncovers Mystery Shipwreck