Plum Island Shipwreck

We were walking the beach on the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island on Sunday March 26. About 2/3 of mile south of parking lot #3 beach access, at low tide, we saw the remnants of a shipwreck poking up through the sand. [Note: The refuge beach closes April 1st for the Piping Plovers]

Victor Mastrone, Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources,
 identified it as likely the wreck of  the Schooner Ingomar. The schooner built in 1904 went aground in 1936. (Shipwrecks are protected archaeological sites. Please do not dig or remove any artifacts).

According to an article in the Boston Herald (February 19, 1936):

“The Ingomar crashed ashore on Plum Island during the night. Her hull was split and it was believed she would break up within a week. When Capt. John Atwood saw the vessel’s plight, he order the men to take to the dories, and night got off safely. Henry White and John Whalen were unable to lower a boat and took to the rigging. They were taken off after a weary vigil by a crew from Knobbs Beach coast guard station on Plum Island.”

 

 Boston Herald February 19, 1936 

Boston Herald March 1, 1936

 Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) February 23, 1936

Sunset over the North Jetty

Low tide in the late afternoon gave us this opportunity to photograph the sun setting over the north jetty.

Winter Storm Stella - Before & After

Day Before the Storm - March 13, 2017

The ocean was remarkably calm the day before. There was barely any wave action especially the farther away form the jetty you got. In and around the jetty, wave heights could be measured in inches. The picture below shows just how clam things were.

 

Barely a ripple 

 

"Ice Necklace" - These are small pieces of ice that washed ashore.

Day After the Storm - March 15, 2017

The storm was offshore and still kicking up some good wave action.

A wall of water over the top

It also liberated some stairs ...

One small step to ...?

Wind blown sand will make beach access a bit challenging this summer.

1:40 minute video of the day before & day after

South Jetty Damage (as of Februayr 28, 2017)

The repairs to the South Jetty have had unintended consequences. The repairs have disrupted the natural flow of currents causing extensive erosion on both the ocean side and Merrimack River side. These photos were taken on February 28, 2017. They show the Merrimack River shoreline just before it meets the south jetty and the ocean. A major nor'easter is forecasted for March 14 which may cause major additional erosion.

The south jetty is just visible in upper left. Water is Merrimack River.

A wooden pole from the former Coast Guard station has tumbled down the embankment. The tall white post at the top was setup to monitor the erosion problem, The short, dark, rusted post in the foreground is an old iron fence post.

 

This photo gives you some sense for the height of the embankment being eroded.