The Ada K. Damon shipwreck, a sand schooner that beached on Crane Beach in Ipswich on the North Shore of Massachusetts around Christmas of 1909, and which was mostly intact until 2020, has broken apart.
For years, it was possible to see part of the hull of the Ada K. Damon. In 2020, Hurricane Teddy caused enough erosion to reveal a part of the hull that had never-before been seen. But that’s also when the ship started breaking apart and pieces of the vessel are now strewn across the beach.
“Portions of the ship that had been buried for 100 years now were visible, so there was an opportunity there to learn from the site things that we hadn’t known before,” said David Robinson, director of the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources in Massachusetts. “So, we took a pile of lemons and turned it into lemonade.”
The pieces of the shipwreck are not only a glimpse into the past but are now also home to ample marine life. A program launched by the Crane Beach Trustees called Shipwreck Scholars takes children to explore the wreck. In June, all students from Ipswich Public Schools will go to the beach to enjoy nature and the wreck itself.
The Ada K. Damon is an exceptional piece of nautical history, and as more pieces are revealed, marine archaeologists hope to learn more about the vessel.
