Parks Canada finds 1812 shipwreck believed to be the Swift at Sable Island

Park rangers in Canada have uncovered a centuries-old shipwreck in an area known for many maritime disasters.

The shipwreck, dating back more than 200 years, is believed to be that of the Swift, a civilian ship that sank on September 27, 1812.

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

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The discovery of the ship parts and subsequent research took two years to complete.

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 spool wheel bearing the markings of the British Royal Navy.

“Another Parks Canada team member later found a piece of copper plating from Portsmouth dated January 1810 with numerous broad arrow stamps and Admiralty stamps, supporting the possibility that we had unearthed a small piece of the Barbadoes; we know from historical records that the ship was repaired in Portsmouth in 1810,” the statement said.

“Sable Island is an unusual area to excavate as it consists mostly of loose sand.”

Additional roller wheels and copper plating were uncovered before authorities eventually found a sloop-sized shipwreck section made of Bermuda cedar.

It turned out that the works belonged to Barbadoes. The shipwreck episode pointed to Swift.

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“Initially, only three pieces of wood emerged from the sand,” the statement said. “We believe the wreckage belongs to Swift.”

A Parks Canada spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Sable Island is known as the “graveyard of the Atlantic.”

According to officials, the debris field was first spotted when only small pieces of wood were visible on the sand. (Parks Canada)

The official cited more than 350 recorded shipwrecks since 1583.

But many shipwreck pieces cannot be traced to specific events unless they have “sufficient distinguishing features.”

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“Sometimes it takes luck,” the official said.

The spokesman added that excavation was difficult due to Sable Island’s windy, harsh weather and unfamiliar terrain.

“This shipwreck discovery is particularly exciting for us,” a Parks Canada official said. (Parks Canada)

Officials worked with both underwater and land archaeologists, as well as Mi’kmaw archaeological technicians, to excavate and document the wreck, adapting their methods to Sable Island’s shifting sands.

“Sable Island is an unusual area to excavate as it consists mostly of loose sand,” the spokesman said.

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“We used sandbags to stabilize the banks and then peeled back the sand from the debris field. We also used a skid steer to remove the excess sand load, then switched to hand tools to avoid damaging the debris.”

Archaeologists, whose documentation was completed, covered the shipwreck with sand to protect it.

“The shipwreck we found was quite far from the current coastline, so we’re still trying to figure out how it got there.”

The official said that what caught the attention of archaeologists the most was the size of the debris.

“Most of the shipwreck items on Sable Island are small pieces usually found on the surface or in the intertidal zone,” the spokesman said. “This wreck was unusual in both its integrity and condition.”

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The official added: “This wreck discovery is particularly exciting for us because if we can confirm it, this is one of the rare cases where we can link a physical shipwreck on Sable Island to a documented historical wreck event from before the 20th century.”

Parks Canada said in a statement that “there are still many unknowns about the ships, how they arrived on Sable Island, and what the crew’s time on the island was like while they waited to be rescued.”

The site was found further inland than expected, raising new questions about how the debris moved over time. (Parks Canada)

“The shipwreck we found was quite far from the current coastline, so we are still trying to figure out how it got there as the island has moved significantly over time,” the announcement said.

The news comes a year after another, albeit much more modern, archaeological discovery was made on Sable Island.

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Last spring, authorities announced that a message in a bottle dating back to 1983 had turned up off the coast of Sable Island and still smelled like gin.