Park rangers unearth 200-year-old shipwreck on remote island dubbed 'graveyard of the Atlantic'

The shipwreck, which dates back more than 200 years, is believed to be the Swift, a civilian vessel that sank on Sept. 27, 1812. 

En route from Bermuda to Newfoundland, the Swift sank along with the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Barbadoes and the schooner Emeline.

The discovery of the ship fragments - and the research that followed - was two years in the making. 

The discovery was announced by Parks Canada officials last month. The group was first alerted to the site in February 2024 after team members found a pulley wheel with a mark of the British Royal Navy.

The artifacts appeared to belong to Barbadoes - while the shipwreck section pointed to the Swift.

"Initially, only three bits of wood were sticking out of the sand," the statement said. "We believe the wreck to be that of the Swift."

Sable Island has a reputation as the "graveyard of the Atlantic," a Parks Canada spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The official cited over 350 recorded shipwrecks since 1583. 

Many shipwreck fragments, however, can't be traced back to specific events unless they have "sufficient distinguishing features."

The official said, "Sometimes, it takes luck."

"Sable Island is an unusual site to excavate, because it's composed mostly of loose sand," said the spokesperson.

"We used sandbags to stabilize the banks and then peeled the sand back from the wreck site. We also used a skid steer to help remove the overburden of sand, then switched to hand tools to avoid damaging the wreck."

When the documentation process was done, archaeologists covered the shipwreck with sand in order to protect it.

What stood out most to archaeologists, the official said, was the scale of the wreck.

"Most shipwreck pieces on Sable Island are usually small fragments lying on the surface or in the intertidal area," the spokesperson noted. "This wreck was unusual both in its completeness and its condition."

Parks Canada's statement noted that there are "still plenty of unknowns about the ships, how they ended up on Sable Island and what their crew's time was like on the island while they waited to be rescued."

"The shipwreck we found was quite far inland from the current shoreline, so we're also still piecing together how it got there, as the island moves considerably over time," the announcement said.

The news comes a year after another archaeological discovery was made at Sable Island - though far more modern.