Did Hurricane Milton wash an 18th century ghost ship ashore in St. Augustine?

On Wednesday, there were rumors on social media about a “ghost ship from the 17th century” that was said to have washed up near the shore St. Augustine, Floridaafter Hurricane Milton. Despite some inconsistencies, the story went viral and captivated thousands of users.
However, it was eventually revealed to be false.
The rumor surfaced a week after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. Despite the fact that the storm struck on October 9th – exactly a week before the alleged sighting – and on the other side of the state Ghost ship The story still gained considerable traction. The original post was shared over 21,000 times, and users spread the story widely.
As it turns out, the ghost ship story was a satire. It emerged from Casper Planeta Facebook page known for its humorous and completely fictional stories, similar to The Onion.

Casper Planet published a follow-up story Friday morning titled “Tourists outraged after discovering nonexistent 1700s.” Pirate ship in Florida “wasn't real the whole time.” The site continued to poke fun at the viral spread of the ghost ship narrative.

In its first post, Casper Planet claimed that the ship “emerged from the depths of the ocean as the Category 4 storm (Hurricane Milton) churned the Atlantic, sending the ancient ship onto the beach.” The dramatic description conveyed something mysterious, but was factually inaccurate. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key on Florida's central west coast. It then crossed the state's peninsula and ended near Brevard and Indian River counties – over 120 miles from St. Augustine.
To give the story a touch of credibility, the page included a made-up quote from a fictional marine archaeologist named “Dr. Andrew Clarke,” who said, “This is unprecedented. “To see such an old ship in such good condition just emerge from the sea during a hurricane – it's both fascinating and frightening.”

Expert debunks the myth

Accordingly First coastal news Report, Chuck Meide, Director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Marine Program at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum. Meide debunked the claim of a ghost ship and stated that the depiction of the ship was unrealistic.
“Most of the wood from a ship hundreds of years old would have been eaten by creatures such as shipworms,” Meide explained. In cases where parts of such ancient ships remain, it is typically the lower part of the ship that sinks beneath the seabed.

Can hurricanes actually cause “ghost ships” to wash ashore?

While the ghost ship story was a hoax, there is some truth to the idea that hurricanes wash abandoned ships ashore. In fact, such incidents have occurred in the past.
According to Weather.com, a 45-foot ghost ship named the Lady Catherine III washed ashore on Pensacola Beach on June 18 during Tropical Storm Alberto. The damaged but still intact ship was found with no passengers on board. It was later discovered that the boat belonged to Michael Barlow, a man from Texas who abandoned it earlier this month after being exposed to the storm.
In another case, a 45-foot sailboat named Cuki became loose from its dock in Key West during Hurricane Irma in 2017. The boat drifted more than 300 miles up Florida's east coast before washing ashore at Spessard Holland South Beach Park. USA Today reported that the boat remained there for two years before being demolished. Its owner, Jeffrey Sundwall of Key West, was later incarcerated at the Jackson Correctional Institute in Malone, Florida, on charges of sexual assault, cocaine possession, obstructing a criminal investigation and possession of child pornography.
(Posts are from the Pensacola News Journal)