AH-WR-0112

Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck

Merchant Sailing Vessel · United States · Lost Believed lost in the second half of the 18th century, based on artifact dating. · Delaware Bay & the Approaches

An unidentified 18th-century trading vessel accidentally struck by a beach-replenishment dredge, yielding tens of thousands of artifacts off Lewes.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 the fall of 2004, a dredge engaged in beach replenishment at Lewes, Delaware struck the remains of an unidentified 18th-century merchant sailing vessel, scattering thousands of artifacts along the shore. Delaware state archaeologists, aided by local volunteers, recovered roughly 40,000 items, ranging from ceramics to glassware, prompting a formal underwater archaeological investigation. The wreck, whose name and precise circumstances of loss remain unknown, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: Delaware site designation 7S-D-91A
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Believed lost in the second half of the 18th century, based on artifact dating.
Cause: Not established
Location: Near Roosevelt Inlet, Lewes, Delaware
Water: Delaware Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Ceramics, glass, and other trade goods, tens of thousands of artifacts recovered
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Approximately 80 percent of the wreck was estimated to remain undisturbed offshore following the 2004 discovery.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2004
Protection: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Position

Coordinates: 38.79° N 75.16° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Lewes, Delaware
Region: Delaware Bay & the Approaches

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