A recent Facebook post featuring an image of a ship has sparked significant interest, amassing over 19,000 shares since its upload on Wednesday. The post claims that the vessel is a “fully intact 1700s-era ghost ship” that washed ashore near St. Augustine, leaving both locals and experts puzzled.
Some users have expressed skepticism regarding the post, pointing out that the ocean water in St. Augustine does not match the vibrant hue shown in the image. Others are eager for a chance to visit what they consider a rare find. The post asserts that this “mysterious vessel” appeared after Hurricane Milton, stating that the storm was a “Category 4” as it stirred the Atlantic Ocean.
The central question is whether a ghost ship from the 1700s really washed ashore near St. Augustine following Hurricane Milton.
Prominent sources addressing the claim include maritime archaeologist Chuck Meide and meteorologist Robert Speta.
The conclusion is that the viral post claiming a 1700s ghost ship washed ashore near St. Augustine is false.
Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, clarified to First Coast News that the post is inaccurate. He noted that the ship depicted appears to be entirely intact, which is highly unlikely in Florida waters where conditions are favorable for deterioration. “You just don’t get that,” Meide stated, explaining that typical shipwrecks in Florida usually consist of only the lower parts that have become buried.
He emphasized that fully intact ships are more likely to be found in colder regions like the Baltic Sea or the Great Lakes, where preservation conditions are significantly better. Meide acknowledged that while pieces of a ship might wash ashore after a hurricane, the emergence of a fully intact vessel is improbable.
Additional inconsistencies in the post include the coloration of the water, which resembles that of South Florida rather than Northeast Florida, and an erroneous claim that Hurricane Milton was a “Category 4” storm. In fact, meteorologist Robert Speta reported that Milton was a Category 1 hurricane after impacting Central Florida and only reached Category 5 status in the Gulf of Mexico before landfall.