The Cape Ray shipwreck splits in the sun until officials navigate its origin
The small community of Cape Ray on the southwest coast of Newfoundland wants to capitalize on the shipwreck that washed ashore in January but needs more information from provincial archeologists before it can move forward with signs and displaying the boat.
"We are in the process now of finding someone to do the signage for us," said Anne Osmond who chairs the local service district.
"Hopefully by next summer we will have something to really, really talk about."
Large chunks of the now famous shipwreck can been seen in front of the town office and near the Cape Ray lighthouse museum. The salty wood is splitting and basking in the sun's rays.
Most of the shipwreck that was hauled out of the ocean in April sits on the beach. (Colleen Connors/CBC )
The vessel, that washed ashore in January, was removed from the ocean in April, with the help of a team of excavators from Marine Contractors. Parts of the ship had to be split and cut because it was just too long and too heavy to remove in one piece.
Most of the ship's parts sit on the edge of the beach and that is where it has to stay, at least until the fall of 2024.
"Our timeline was cut short because of where it is located," said Osmond.
The beach area is close to the piping plover, a rare bird that needs protecting and can not be disturbed this time of year.
"We had to stop our progress, but hopefully it will be started up again soon, probably in September," she said.
WATCH | Why this shipwreck is still on the beach, despite some other plans for it:
Osmond's goal is to get all parts of the vessel over to the Cape Ray lighthouse museum site where it can be displayed with proper signage describing its origin, name and history to attract tourists to the town of about 300 people.
But, she is waiting for any new information from the provincial government on samples collected by provincial archaeologists in early February.
She says there is $10,000 remaining in the public fundraiser that will go toward proper displays.
Some pieces of the boat are already at the Cape Ray lighthouse site. Eventually, the town would like to see the vessel displayed here with proper signage. (Colleen Connors/CBC)
For this summer season, the splitting shipwreck is still attracting a lot of onlookers who attempt the rough drive on the dirt road to the beach to catch a glimpse and a picture. Osmond said she's asked about the mystery shipwreck every day.
When heavy equipment hauled it out of the ocean in the spring, Osmond discovered that the shipwreck wasn't a whole shipwreck but one quarter of the actual boat.
"When they sized it up they realized it was only one quarter of the vessel that was there. So, it was one half of one side. The rest of the ship is buried somewhere," she said.
She said she now wonders whether other parts of the ship will eventually wash up.
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