Thread: Anyone Seen This, Pre Civil war Shipwreck Washes Ashore near Ft. Morgan?

I thought this was really interesting.
Issac dug and washed a pre-Civil War era shipwreck ashore about five (5) miles east of Ft. Morgan.
We may take the kids and go check it out tomorrow.

Pic by Star Tribune
[img width=630 height=465]http://apps.startribune.com/blogs/user_images/ship_1.jpg[/img]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maedean...7607378390890/

[size=12pt][font=comic sans ms]Found this on WKRG Debbie Williams fb page.

“The mystery shipwreck of Fort Morgan... After Hurricane Ike exposed the wreck in 2008 I was involved in an archaeological survey of this wreck.
It was determined to be the lumber Schooner Rachel, built by the John DeAngelo & Sons Boatyard in Moss Point, MS in 1919. Many thanks to Ken DeAngelo who provided detailed drawings of the ship, construction notes, family history and other information which facilitated her identification. The Rachel was built to service the expanding lumber trade along the coast. She was launched in 1919 and wrecked during an unnamed tropical storm on Wednesday October 17th, 1923. At the time of her loss she was owned by the Van Heynigen Brokerage Company and captained by Captain N. C. Williams with a crew of 7. No lives were lost in the wreck. Soon after the wreck, the Rachel was evaluated by salvage captains from Mobile and determined to be high and dry aground and de-masted. Salvage Captain C.M. Daughrill of the tug Harry G. Lytle stated that the Rachel had been driven so far ashore by the storm that
she would need to be "dug off the shore". As a result, she was stripped and simply abandoned where she lay. Soon afterwards her remains caught fire in "suspicious circumstances". Her remains lay today where they were in 1923 - well above the high tide line, a few miles east of Fort
Morgan. They are usually buried deep in the sand, however they are periodically exposed by storm surge from hurricanes and tropical storms.
The Rachel is a great and unique piece of local history and the story of her wrecking is well known to many old timers. The Rachel is also mentioned in the 1986 book "Well, I've Never Met a Native" by Joy Callaway Buskins, where she talks about her father and the wreck of the Rachel in 1923.”

Very cool, thanks for putting the REAL story out for us.

I saw it after Ike dug it up. Pretty cool.

[size=12pt][font=comic sans ms]It may take all winter, but I think we can fix this thing!
[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012073.jpg[/img]

[size=12pt][font=comic sans ms]Here are a few more pics of the ship

[img width=720 height=435]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012065.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012063.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012060.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012059.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012058.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012050.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012047.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012045.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=540]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012043.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=532]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012041.jpg[/img]

[img width=720 height=458]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/9-1-2012038.jpg[/img]

Fin, as always, great pics.

[size=12pt][font=comic sans ms]More info on the The Rachel Shipwreck uncovered by Isaac!

https://plus.google.com/photos/10826...00915444745505

[img width=556 height=355]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/finchaser1/Forum%20Only/NON%20REPORT%20PHOTOS/Rachelship.jpg[/img]

Do the boards still seem solid? That's a lot of good deer stand material right there.

I had no idea there was that much steel in a wooden boat. How would you have liked to have bored all those holes with a hand auger or drill?

The wood is 80 years waterlogged and the ship was burnt to the waterline after the stranding.
Wood in that condition becomes 'spongy' and crumbles when it dries.