Fierce Storms Expose 19th-Century Maritime Mystery on Jersey Shore

The powerful storms battering the Jersey Shore this winter have revealed the ruins of an old wooden ship buried beneath sea and sand for nearly 140 years.

The vessel, called the Lawrence N. McKenzie, was traveling from Puerto Rico to New York City when it suddenly sank in 1890.

The crew and passengers all survived, but the ship was never seen again.

Turns out, it was hiding beneath a blanket of sand.

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In a Facebook post on January 23, officials at the New Jersey Island Beach State Park announced that the long-lost schooner had suddenly appeared on the dunes.

Its wreckage had been there all along; it had just taken "weeks of beach erosion caused by rough surf and persistent wind and wave action" to reveal itself, according to park officials.

What's left of the ship's wooden frame now lies in tatters on an undeveloped stretch of the Jersey Shore, awaiting expert analysis.

"Beach erosion during the winter months is common at Island Beach State Park and is part of a natural, cyclical process. Each year, high-energy waves and seasonal storms remove sand from the shoreline, resulting in narrower beaches and steeper profiles," reads the Island Beach State Park announcement.

"Most beaches recover from the erosion during the calmer summer months – but for now, this winter's erosion has revealed a glimpse into the park's maritime history."

While beach erosion is natural during the winter months on Island Beach State Park – an undeveloped barrier island – scientists have found that climate change is probably accelerating the phenomenon.

As sea levels rise and storms intensify, sea surges threaten to pull away more sand, and these dunes are an integral barrier against future storms.

In the last few years alone, several shipwrecks have been found around the world after extreme weather events.

In 2024, coastal storms revealed the remnants of another old schooner in Australia, and in 2025, a shipwreck was exposed on a beach in Vietnam after a typhoon.

Related: 'As If Time Froze': France's Deepest Shipwreck Stuns Archaeologists

Perhaps that's a coincidence, or maybe it's a trend. This may not be the last shipwreck that lands in our laps.