Shipwreck revealed on shore of Crane Beach

Crane Beach has long been the sight of shipwrecks, making the sandy shores a haven for citizen science and discovery. But after a recent storm in 2020 broke apart the most famous shipwreck, the Ada K. Damon, the trustees of Crane are utilizing each new-found piece as a learning opportunity.

The Ada K. Damon was a sand schooner that ran aground around Christmas of 1909. Prior to Hurricane Teddy, a mostly intact wreck of the ship was available to see seasonally as the sand shifted. The find was extremely rare considering most shipwrecks can only be seen in their entirety underwater, according to the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. 

Now, following Teddy, the erosion of the beach has revealed a portion of the hull that had not been previously seen. 

“Portions of the ship that had been buried for 100 years now were visible, so there was an opportunity there to learn from the site things that we hadn’t known before. So we took a pile of lemons and turned into lemonade,” said David Robinson, director of the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. 

Pieces of the ship are now scattered across the 18-acre beach. Members of the Crane Beach Trustees launched Shipwreck Scholars, an educational program allowing children to engage with and learn about the wrecks. 

“Our mission at the trustees is to share these special places with the public in order to inspire appreciation and then hopefully stewardship,” said Val Perini, regional education manager of the Crane Estate. 

Crane Beach is an ever-changing place, from the tides that bring new wrecks to light to the seasonal nature that visitors can explore.

“If you come in the winter you might see a snowy owl. If you come in the summer you might see a Mola Mola swimming off the coast,” Perini said. 

The program allows students to get up close and personal to the shipwrecks and examine the marine life that now calls them home. According to Perini, they are “building the trustees of the future.” 

At one point, Robinson proposed the kids should have a sea shanty to sing during the program. 

“Turns out, sea shanties are pretty raunchy and not really made for children,” he remarked. So, he wrote one. 

The song is about Crane Beach and the history of the Ada K. Damon. The scholars sing it in a call and response with beach leaders. And recently, Northampton’s Kingfisher Duo picked up the song and recorded it. 

“People are singing together, and that kind of builds bonds. So I think we’re able to show how that really forged a community at sea,” Perini said.

Shipwreck Scholars is not the only way children can engage with this historical beach. The trustees have maintained a tradition started by the Crane family themselves when they owned the estate and the beach was private property.

The Cranes’ would have a picnic day where residents of Ipswich could come and enjoy their beach. Now, the trustees hold a similar excursion where children from Ipswich Public Schools all come to the beach in June. 

While Shipwreck Scholars is tailored to a younger crowd, the trustees also host a Marine Archeology and Sunset Hike for adults interested in history, marine biology, or the effects of climate change. The next hike is on March 10 at 3:30 p.m., and people who sign up will be able to see the Ada K. Damon’s 50-foot hull. 

Today, visitors can become members of Crane Beach or pay a non-member fee to visit (currently $5-10 in the offseason), and the hull of the Ada K. Damon can still be seen on the shore. 

But visitors should know that the shipwrecks are fragile pieces of history.

“People should treat them like the fragile elders that they are,” Robinson said. 

Crane Beach continues to hold more mysteries, and the breaking of the Ada K. Damon may continue to reveal more of the ship that has not yet been discovered. 

Newsletter Signup

Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com