Storm Uncovers Century Old Shipwreck On Martha’s Vineyard Beach

Vineyard Gazette – The storm that slammed the Island in early November cancelled ferry trips and eroded beaches on Chappaquiddick. It also unearthed a mystery.

Pieces of what appears to be a 19th-century shipwreck were exposed on East Beach at Cape Pogue, said Chris Kennedy, Vineyard superintendent for the Trustees of Reservations.

Iron pegs that once attached wood planks to the ribs of the wooden ship are visible in neat rows on the beach opposite Shear Pen Pond, Mr. Kennedy said. They were unearthed by the northeaster that hit the beach the first weekend of November.

This is not the first time the shipwreck has been exposed, Mr. Kennedy said. “I guess I’ve seen it maybe five times in the last 26 years. It obviously has been there for a long, long time.

Mr. Kennedy said that southwestern winds will bring sand back to the beach and eventually the pieces of the shipwreck will be buried again by a foot or two of sand. “By next summer you wouldn’t even know it’s there,” he said, and people will set up on the beach with blankets. Little do they know, he said, “they’re sitting right on top of an old, old shipwreck.”

The Trustees announced the discovery on Facebook and invited people to come see the wreck, but asked visitors not to disturb the site.

Don’t disturb the site? Dude, how many times are you going to leave the rusty metal rods sticking up all over the beach? Sure people might not realize they are sitting on top of an old shipwreck, but you know what else they don’t realize? That they’re sitting on top of a tetanus mine field.

What is with this obsession with not disturbing old shit? Where is the line between something being historic or just being old garbage? Look, there are thousands of wrecks all around Cape Cod, this one is not special, we aren’t talking about Fenway Park here, clean that shit up Martha’s Vineyard, before someone ends up with gonorrhea.

P.S. Yes, gonorrhea, that’s how you get it. Just ask Insane Tony, he’s always talking about how he got gonorrhea from some crusty old wreck at the beach.