200-year-old shipwreck discovered in Florida

(WILX) - A mysterious shipwreck believed to be nearly 200 years old appeared on Crescent Beach in Florida.

Archaeologists believe the ship was pushed onto the beach by a storm, then sand formed around it over time. The waves revealed what looks like the bottom of a ship that experts believe is from the 1800′s.

“It’s most likely that a ship that we find on our coast was probably a merchant ship. So, it was probably a cargo ship, carrying goods, again in the 1800s,” said archeologist said Chuck Meide, Director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP). “Think of the kind of like a Walmart semi-truck. A ship that was carrying a bunch of, could be hardware, could be flour, and could be all kinds of different commodities.”

Experts say in the last three years, at least 10 feet of sand has washed away to reveal the wreck. Visitors say they had no idea the wreckage was there.

Meide reminded the public that disturbing the timbers, or taking a souvenir, is a crime.