A Victorian-era cargo shipwreck has reappeared from beneath the sands at Island Beach State Park on the New Jersey coastline.
The Lawrence N. McKenzie, a schooner constructed in 1883, was identified by park authorities in a social media announcement on January 22.
Recent turbulent seas and powerful winds caused the 135-year-old wreck to become visible once more at the barrier island location in Ocean County along the Jersey Shore.
The ship’s remains were not deposited on the beach by waves but rather revealed as sand levels shifted over time, exposing what had long been buried beneath the surface.
The 98.2-foot vessel met its end off the New Jersey coast on March 21, 1890 whilst sailing from Puerto Rico to New York City with a cargo of oranges. Provincetown, Massachusetts served as the schooner’s home port.
When the ship went down, the entire fruit shipment was lost to the ocean. However, all eight members of the crew managed to survive the wreck.
The McKenzie’s fate represents just one of numerous maritime disasters along the stretch of American coastline, with several historic wrecks having been uncovered at Island Beach State Park throughout the years.
New Jersey’s shoreline undergoes constant transformation, shaped by wave activity that periodically unearths artefacts long concealed beneath the beach. Winter months bring particularly pronounced erosion to the coastal areas.
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The 98.2-foot vessel met its end off the New Jersey coast on March 21, 1890
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NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
This is not the first occasion the Lawrence N. McKenzie has made an appearance above the sand.
According to a New Jersey State Parks spokesperson, the vessel has surfaced previously, though not within the past 10 years or more.
The phenomenon of historic shipwrecks emerging at this particular state park is well documented, with multiple vessels having been exposed at the site over the decades as natural forces continually reshape the barrier island’s geography.
A spokesman for New Jersey State Parks emphasised that taking natural or historical materials from state-administered lands is forbidden under park regulations.
This is not the first occasion the Lawrence N. McKenzie has made an appearance above the sand
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NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
The official warned: “Violators are subject to fines issued by the New Jersey State Park Police.”
Park authorities have urged visitors to refrain from touching or interfering with the shipwreck remains in order to safeguard them for coming generations.
The discovery comes amid renewed interest in 19th-century maritime history along the Jersey Shore.
Last May, researchers announced they had identified mysterious bones found on Atlantic County beaches during the 1990s as belonging to Henry Goodsell, captain of another Victorian-era schooner.
