Mysterious shipwreck washes up on Canadian coast: Bird hunter spotted ghostly 80ft vessel off Newfoundland after experts say it was dislodged during tropical storm

A mysterious shipwreck has washed up on the Canadian coast, centuries after it was believed to have sunk.

The ghostly ship appeared on the shores of Cape Ray on the coast of Newfoundland and is believed to have been dredged up by post-tropical storm Fiona.

The 25 meter long ship was spotted by local bird hunter Gordon Blackmore, who first noticed a large shadow beneath the waves on January 20.

“It’s amazing, there’s no other word for it,” Blackmore, 21, said CBC. “I’m just curious if they can name the ship, how old it is, and if any souls were lost on her.”

It is believed that the boat dates from the 19th century due to the use of wooden dowels throughout the construction. Its length suggests that it may have been larger than a schooner, but otherwise not much is known about its origin.

The ship appeared on the beach of Cape Ray, a coastal community of about 350 people

The ship was first spotted by seabird hunter Gordon Blackmore on January 20

Residents, including Bert Osmond (photo), have been keeping an eye on the site since it emerged

“This is a great, great event,” Neil Burgess, president of the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, told the Guardian.

“If it’s oak or beech or some hardwood like that, it will tell us it wasn’t made here in Newfoundland and was probably made somewhere in Europe,” he said. UPI.

“There are shipwreck databases where we can search for what we think was lost around Cape Ray.”

He suspects the ship was freed by a combination of coastal erosion and the tropical storm that ravaged the area and damaged more than a hundred homes.

A local government team has now been dispatched to assess and preserve the wreckage.

But they are working against the clock, as the international attention the ship received has already led to artifacts being removed from the wreck.

There are also fears that the ship could succumb to sea ice or be pulled back into the depths in strong winds.

Cape Ray is home to about 350 people and used to be on a busy shipping route.

Experts believe that the use of wooden dowels in the structure of the boat suggests that it dates from the 19th century

The site has received international attention and led to numerous theories about its origins

The local government has sent a team to help identify and preserve the wreck

The coastline of Newfoundland is thought to be littered with the remains of ‘thousands’ of ships, which are dredged up from time to time.

Speculation is rife among locals desperate to learn more about its history. The Cape Ray community page has become a forum for the exchange of suggestions and maritime knowledge from around the world.

According to the page, resident Bert Osmond has taken it upon himself to keep a daily vigil over the wreck.

Photos show him and others recently tying a rope around the ship to prevent it from floating away.

“This story has gone around the world and hopefully we can secure the wreck so officials can document it,” Anne Osmond wrote on the page.

‘We would like to give a big shout out to Bert for being there every day to watch over this piece of history, as well as to all the others who helped and offered ropes to make it safe.

Cape Ray residents recently secured the wreck with a rope, fearing it could float back out to sea

The size of the ship indicates that, according to experts, it was larger than a schooner

‘The visitors to the site are wonderful and the stories told from the past, what a history lesson.

‘Preserving the Dorset site and the wreck is top of the list. It’s been an overwhelming few days, but let’s get it over with. The tourist attraction for 2024 is just around the corner.’

It is not the first time that a centuries-old ship has resurfaced. In March 2023, a Massachusetts woman came across the remains of an 1884 shipwreck on a beach, 140 years after it sank in a monster storm on its way to Boston.

While in Britain, violent storms uncovered a shipwreck in the coastal town of Cornwall, 130 years after it sank.