Parks Canada archeologists take measurements of an exposed deck section believed to be from the Swift, a sloop that shipwrecked on Sable Island in September 1812, in this handout photo, at Sable Island National Park Reserve, N.S., on May 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Parks Canada (Mandatory Credit)
Parks Canada archeologists excavate a shipwreck buried in the sand dunes, using hand tools to avoid damaging the wreck, in this handout photo, at Sable Island National Park Reserve, N.S., on May 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Parks Canada (Mandatory Credit)
Parks Canada archeologists take measurements of an exposed deck section believed to be from the Swift, a sloop that shipwrecked on Sable Island in September 1812, in this handout photo, at Sable Island National Park Reserve, N.S., on May 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Parks Canada (Mandatory Credit)
HALIFAX - A partial shipwreck discovered on Sable Island two years ago is believed to be the remains of a speedy Bermuda sloop that was loaded with rum when it sank during the War of 1812, archeologists say.
Parks Canada archeologist Brandy Lockhart says it took many months to develop a working theory about the wreck because the shifting sands of the island 300 kilometres southeast of Halifax rarely give up clues about the 350 shipwrecks recorded there since the late 1500s.
鈥淲e can find lots of different shipwreck remains or fragments throughout Sable Island, but having an (identifying) feature on it is rare,鈥 Lockhart said in an interview Wednesday.
鈥淏eing able to actually identify a wreck and align it with historic documentation is very rare鈥
In this case, a portion of the mystery ship's well-preserved upper deck was spotted just below the sandy surface of the island's North Beach in 2024. But the vessel's identity could not be gleaned from its rotted timbers alone.
鈥淚t had kind of been uncovered from one of the (eroding) dunes,鈥 Lockhart said.
鈥淪able Island is very dynamic. The sand and the dunes shift and move, and (shipwreck) fragments ... will be uncovered. And then, within days or weeks, they might be covered back up again.鈥
In 2022, a researcher on the island turned up a small pulley with a tiny arrow stamped into a metal plate 鈥 a distinctive marking known as a broad arrow. It was used by the British Royal Navy to identify its property.
Other similarly marked wood and copper fragments were found nearby, suggesting a possible connection to three vessels in a small British navy convoy that were wrecked off the island鈥檚 north shore in September 1812.
At first, the archeologists thought the mystery ship might be HMS Barbadoes, a Royal Navy frigate with 28 guns.
Lockhart said that before the big ship sank, it was headed to Halifax with a load of silver, which would be paid to British sailors. Along the way, the ship鈥檚 crew managed to capture an American vessel and take its crew members as prisoners of war.
In May of last year, a team of Parks Canada archeologists returned to the island to take a closer look at the partial deck, which seemed to be too small to fit a 43-metre warship.
An analysis of the wood determined it was Bermuda cedar. That finding led the researchers believe the mystery ship was a single-masted Bermuda sloop known as the Swift. It was headed to Newfoundland with the convoy when it sank.
鈥淚f verified, the discovery marks a rare occasion of researchers correlating a shipwreck site on Sable Island with a documented historical wreck event from before the 20th century,鈥 Parks Canada said in a statement released Wednesday.
Parks Canada archeologists excavate a shipwreck buried in the sand dunes, using hand tools to avoid damaging the wreck, in this handout photo, at Sable Island National Park Reserve, N.S., on May 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Parks Canada (Mandatory Credit)
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Meanwhile, Lockhart said the archeological work she completed on the island was sometimes challenging.
On the first day of a two-week trip, strong winds whipped up stinging curtains of sand.
鈥淎s you're trying to excavate, the sand is just filling everything in,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou stand up and get a faceful of sand blasted at you 鈥. But in 2024, we were working in T-shirts.鈥
As well, she said Sable Island鈥檚 famous horses weren鈥檛 hard to spot.
鈥淭hey don't seem to mind that you're there,鈥 Lockhart said. 鈥淵ou'll be working on a shipwreck and the horses will come in and check it out 鈥 They like to use the shipwrecks as scratching posts.鈥
This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published March 11, 2026.
