Defiance shipwreck
Portland Press Herald
Not far from the Fun-O-Rama off York’s Short Sands Beach, the wooden stubs of what was once the hull of a colonial-era cargo ship periodically protrude from the sand. The skeleton of what researchers now believe is Defiance drew widespread attention in 1958 when enough sand shifted to reveal it.
For many years, the boat was a mystery, but in 2020 testing of the hull’s wooden remains indicated that the trees from which it was made were cut in 1753. Through a process of elimination, researchers concluded that the 50-foot hull likely belongs to the Defiance, a pinky-style sloop that left Salem, Massachusetts for Portland in 1769 carrying flour, pork, and English goods. Before the ship could reach its destination, it was storm tossed onto Cape Neddick’s rocky shores. The four-man crew survived but the remains of their wrecked boat were eventually buried in the sand.
The Defiance owes its survival in part to the same sands that conceal it, as they act as a sort of blanket protecting it from the wind and sun. Strong storms periodically strip away the beach, exposing it for long enough to draw new generations to rediscover it before the sand rebuilds and shelters it once more.
Author: Stephanie Bouchard
