Ships washed ashore more than 100 years ago on a Florida island were completely unearthed earlier this month when Hurricane Michael touched down, wreaking havoc on parts of the state, reports say.
More than a century ago, in 1899, 15 ships washed ashore on Dog Island, in Franklin County, during Carrabelle Hurricane and lay grounded on the barrier island for 119 years, according to USA Today. Now, a few of the ships are now completely visible due to Hurricane Michael’s deadly surge beginning on Oct. 10.
“They’ve been mostly stationary since 1899 when they were wrecked in a hurricane,” Florida Department of State spokeswoman Sarah Revell told USA Today of the ships. “From time to time, some parts of the site have become exposed.”
Carrabelle Boat Club/Facebook
The 1899 hurricane crossed over the Florida Keys into the Gulf of Mexico and became a Category 2 storm, according to The Weather Channel. It ravaged the beach resort town of Carrabelle, leaving just nine houses standing, according to The Weather Channel.
As for Hurricane Michael, the storm surge left thousands without power, destroyed homes and toppled buildings in Florida, Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas.
At least 36 people have died as a result of the storm, according to CNN. 26 confirmed deaths were in Florida, alone.
Carrabelle Boat Club/Facebook
In the wake of Hurricane Michael, Florida residents have called the unearthed ships a source of joy as the state struggles to recover from the storm. Many have visited Dog Island to see the old ships.
“We took a 5 mile dinghy ride out to Dog island 2 days after hurricane Michael,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“After hearing rumors of an old wood shipwreck that the storm exposed, we just had to go. The coolest part is that they were wrecked on the bay side of the island in 1899 and exposed on the gulf side 2018, so the island actually moved over the wrecks.”
Another person wrote: “Mother nature has a mind of her own sometimes.”
Officials with Carrabelle Boat Club shared photos of the ship taken by Andrew Smith on Facebook. Pictures show parts of the ships laid flat and others buried deeply in the sand.
Many social media users have shared the photos on their own Facebook pages, with one person writing: “There are some good things that come out of a Hurricane.”
