Outer Banks Shipwreck 2010

The oldest shipwreck on the Carolina coast may have been discovered recently on the Outer Banks. 

A curator who is a part of the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch recently visited the OBX shipwreck to determine some more detailed information about the “ghost ship.”  The wreck is named “The Nathan Henry,” and it is over 400 years old. The ship is about 65 feet long, and is presumed to be a military of merchant ship.  

It appears that after the storms that struck during the fall and early winter, the wreck has moved a distance of over two miles.  The Archaeology Branch is a little uncertain about the future of this ship, but they are trying to collect as much information as possible.  At the end of 2009, the ship became totally exposed.  During the Expedition, some interesting artifacts surfaced; musket balls and coins that were dated back to 1601.  The imprint on the coin was a little hard to distinguish, but the image resembled King Louis  XIII. 

Update:  Eye on Dare recently reported that a second “ghost ship” has surfaced along the Northern Outer Banks.   Unlike the 300-400 year old wood-pegged shipwreck which storms uncovered in December, the newest shipwreck may bear familiar name. State archaeologists say the wreckage could be part of the remains of the steamer, Metropolis, which sank about 300 yards off Corolla beach on January 31, 1878, with the loss of 102 lives.