Cape Ray resident hopes 2025 will solve mystery of unearthed shipwreck

Mysteries around an unearthed shipwreck off the coast of southwestern Newfoundland remain months after it made international headlines, and those in the community of Cape Ray hope the new year can bring the breakthrough they're looking for.

The massive, overturned hull of a seemingly ancient ship appeared off Cape Ray in January, which led to quick speculation about its origin.

While Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial archaeologist deemed the boat as not historically significant, members of the local service district committee have been working to learn more.

"We did get a little bit of information back on the nails and the spikes...They're zinc, lead and copper, but not fully copper. It was back in the 1800s that the nails were last made like [that], so it tells you that the boat is [from] the 1800s," Anne Osmond, chair of the local service district, told CBC News.

"Hopefully we'll get a name, and then we can move forward," she said in a recent interview. 

Residents have also sent off parts of wood hoping to learn more. The unearthed part of the wreck was about 30 metres long and 18 metres wide. Osmond said samples had to be cut into pieces for safe transport.

The finding of the wreck sparked intrigue around the world, which led to people from all over connecting with residents of Cape Ray. Osmond said she'll remember it for a long time.

She also hopes it can be long remembered through some kind of tourist attraction. While preservation efforts haven't started as they wait for more information on the vessel, Osmond hopes something can start in either 2025 or 2026.

"There's lots of pictures and videos. And once everything is in place we'll try to get it in as a tourist attraction and have some sign-ups and write-ups on it," she said.

"There's still people that go there and see it, and are amazed at the size of it… My dreams [are] to have that put in place with a name, age and where it came from. And the history. It if it was fishing vessel, if it was a sealing vessel, if it was a passenger vessel."

Osmond hopes those questions can be answered soon. She would also like to see the stories of other shipwrecks in the region told through tourism with the formation of a regional committee.

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