The sands of time are finally taking their toll, revealing more of the remains of a historic shipwreck on a beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts, just above Cape Ann. Indeed, the shifting sands are now uncovering more pieces of the hull of the Ada K. Damon, an 84-foot Grand Banks schooner that ran aground on Crane Beach on Dec. 26, 1909.
The Ada K. Damon was launched at Burnham Boat Building in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1875. A sturdy vessel, it had a 23-foot beam and an 8-foot draft. At first, it was used for fishing, and later for transporting sand.
It was anchored off Ipswich over Christmas in 1909, trying to ride out a violent snowstorm, but the next day the anchor chain parted and the ship ran aground. All five men on board were saved.
Historic Ipswich
But the ship stayed there. Initially, the wreck was a tourist attraction, but over the years the hull deteriorated and became buried in the sand. Less than ten years ago, the shifting sand revealed more and more, exposing the remains down to the keel.
Ipswich officials decided the wreck offered a glimpse of history, and the Crane Beach Trustees started a Shipwreck Scholars program to study the remains. But in September, 2020, Hurricane Teddy hammered the wreck, tearing the hull apart. Now, new storms have uncovered pieces of the hull that have never been seen before, with parts spread out along the 18-acre beach, the subjects of study for marine archeologists and the curious. The Ada K. Damon, it seems, refuses to completely disappear.
Read more at https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/03/08/shipwreck-revealed-on-shore-of-crane-beach/
