AH-WR-0553

King Street Vessel

Small Sailing Craft · United States · Lost 19th century; exact date unknown · Florida's Atlantic Coast

A small 19th-century boat unearthed beneath a St. Augustine street during drainage construction, sealed in sediment for generations.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

In October 2023, construction crews installing stormwater drainage beneath King Street in St. Augustine uncovered the buried hull of a small 19th-century wooden sailing craft. Archaeologists believe it was a shallow-draft vessel likely used to harvest fish and shellfish in local waterways. Sealed by sand, silt, and shell for more than a century, the hull and artifacts including a kerosene lamp and coconut-shell cups were carefully excavated and conserved by SEARCH Inc. archaeologists working with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: Site number 8SJ07432
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: 19th century; exact date unknown
Cause: Not established
Location: Beneath the intersection of King Street and Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, Florida
Water: Matanzas Bay area, historically submerged
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Partial hull recovered largely intact, buried under sediment for over a century
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2023
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 29.90° N 81.31° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: St. Augustine, Florida
Region: Florida's Atlantic Coast

General area only: coordinate of St. Augustine, Florida from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

The vessel's name, builder, and precise date of construction and loss are not established; only the discovery context and general vessel type are documented.

The Guardian
Discovery narrative and public context.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Saint Augustine, FL
coordinate of the named place of loss