This week in the June 25, 2026 edition of the Seacoast Scene newspaper, I wrote about some local shipwrecks on the Seacoast that you can actually see in person, either from the shore or in a museum or both.
I got the idea for the story after learning about the Jennie M. Carter shipwreck at Salisbury Beach and seeing the wreckage for myself one day during low tide in 2015. It was fascinating and a little eerie, like something you’d see on Widow’s Bay. There are even rumors that the wreckage is haunted.
Then I discovered that Salisbury Beach isn’t the only place where you can see a shipwreck, as there are lots of beaches across New England where ships not only sank but are still visible to this day.
So I decided to pick a few of these shipwrecks and tell their story and also inform people how and where to see them in person.
As the executive director at the Custom House Maritime Museum, James Russell, told me, shipwrecks along the seacoast were very common, and the rescue missions to save these ships were equally as dangerous:
“I often think how harrowing it must have been for those aboard a vessel that had struck bottom or had struck a rock, likely in a storm or at night, and how frightening that must have been. Equally, the efforts to rescue the passengers and crew must have been a daunting proposition and requiring great courage. We see these same traits exhibited by the US Coast Guard today.”
Some of the shipwrecks I discuss in the article, such as the Lizzie Carr, are actually buried in the sand and are only visible every once in a while after a storm unearths them, while others, like the Jennie M. Carter and the Howard W. Middleton, are visible during very low tides.
In addition, the wreckage of some of these shipwrecks, the Lizzie Carr and the Jennie M. Carter, are on display in local science centers and museums, so even if you can’t see them in the wild, you can still check them out in person.
I’ve seen the wreckage of the Jennie M. Carter both in person on the shore of Salisbury Beach and also at the Custom House Maritime Museum, and it was fascinating to see both times.
These shipwrecks are definitely worth checking out either at the beach or in a museum if you want to see some historic shipwrecks this summer.
I have also included in this post a list of the sources I used to write the article, in case you want to learn more about them.
Sources:
“Maritime Tales: Shipyards and Shipwrecks – Part 2 of 2.” Scarborough Historical Society, scarboroughhistoricalsociety.org/2016/10/maritime-tales-shipyards-and-shipwrecks-part-2-of-2/
“Rye shipwreck resurfaces.” Seacoast Science Center, seacoastsciencecenter.org/2023/03/16/rye-shipwreck-resurfaces/
“Six Sailors Lost.” The Boston Post, 13 Apr. 1894, p. 1.
“Five Saved.” The Boston Globe, 13 Apr. 1894, p. 1.
“Wrecked at Spurwink.” Biddeford Daily Journal, 11 Aug. 1897, p. 2.
“Loss of Vessel and Cargo.” The Boston Globe, 12 Aug. 1897, p. 10.
“Schooner Middleton Lost.” The Times, 13 Aug. 1897, p. 4.
“Crew Took to the Rigging.” The Boston Globe, 7 Jan. 1905, p. 1.
“Last of Lizzie Carr.” Lewiston Evening Journal, 7 Jan. 1905, p. 1.