British warship eluded by Paul Revere before his 1775 ride resurfaces in shifting Mass. sands
By APSaturday, April 10, 2010
Warship eluded by Paul Revere resurfaces off Mass.
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — The wreck of a warship Paul Revere eluded before his famous ride to warn American patriots the British were coming has resurfaced in shifting sands off Massachusetts.
About a dozen timbers from the HMS Somerset III were spotted after erosion from recent storms on a beach in Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Cod.
Cape Cod National Seashore historian William Burke tells The Boston Globe newspaper it’s been at least 37 years since any part of the Somerset was seen.
Federal park officials are using three-dimensional imaging technology to digitally preserve the wreck’s visible portions. Burke says the ship might deteriorate if excavated.
Revere slipped past the Somerset and its 400-member crew before beginning his ride in 1775.
The ship was wrecked in 1778. Most of the crew members survived and were exchanged for American prisoners.
