FRAN AND JACK DREW HOLDING A PIECE OF A SHIP WRECK FOUND IN THE SURF IN MANASQUAN AFTER HURRICANE DONNA IN SEPTEMBER 1960. ORIGINALLY THOUGH TO BE AN ANCIENT HULK OF VIKING SHIP AND THEN SOME EXPERTS FELT IT WAS AN 18TH CENTURY TRADING BARGE. TODAY, ITS ORIGIN IS STILL A MYSTERY BUT IN THE EARLY 1960'S ITS DISCOVERY BY FRAN, HER BROTHERS AND UNCLE LED TO A LOT OF EXCITEMENT. ALL NEWSPAPERS IN NJ AND SURROUNDING STATES CARRIED STORIES AND THE 40 FT WRECK WAS VISITED BY PEOPLE AND EXPERTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. Two guest speakers were at the July 25 meeting: Fran and Jack Drew. Fran, who’s a retired organic chemist, and Jack, who’s a retired chemical engineer, spoke in the past about the Glimmer Glass Bridge. At this latest meeting, the couple spoke about an experience Fran had when she was younger.
In September 1960, the Jersey Shore was hit by Hurricane Donna, one of the “most treacherous hurricanes” in the Shore’s history. On Monday, Sept. 12, an ancient hulk (from some vessel) was seen on the beach in Manasquan. Fran and two of her sisters made the discovery. Fran’s Uncle Albert and her brothers—Salvatore, Albert III, and Peter—joined the group. They did the salvage together. The hulk was salvaged on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Several large pins were taken from the hulk’s bottom. There were brass pins as well as copper pins in the bunch. Each pin was unique. Bolts were also found; no two bolts were alike. Long tree pins kept the vessel’s planks and ribs together. There was evidence that the timbers were hand-hewn. The hulk didn’t have a keel. The fittings were hand-made. A mixture of bronze and iron pins were noticed. A large plank was removed from the vessel. Fran brought the large plank to the meeting, plus a few pins. The group noticed that the hulk’s bottom was first sheathed in copper.
It took a front-end loader to get the hulk off the beach. When it was taken off, the hulk was placed at the property of Fran’s uncle. Hundreds of people made their way into town just to see the hulk, which was 40 feet long. They came from all over. Some came from Rutgers University. Some came from Connecticut. Some came from the Smithsonian. Robert Maxwell, a former Naval architect, said: “The ship’s construction indicates it was built prior to 1400 A.D.” Alice Fenton, then a doctoral candidate in anthropology at NYU remarked, “The wood used, the shape of the bronze spikes, and the copper sheathing along base boards are indicative of Viking craftsmanship.”
Opinions on the other side were made known. “Viking ships had keels,” said Mendel Peterson, head of the Smithsonian’s Naval History Department at the time. “The lack of a keel would indicate the hulk was once a working barge.”
The family discovery received tons of press coverage. On Sunday, Sept. 18, the Asbury Park Press printed a story with the following headline: “Manasquan Mystery: Observer Says Salvaged Ship May Date Back To The Viking Era.” The headline “Storm Washes Hulk Ashore in Jersey: Is it a Viking relic?” was seen in The New York Times. The Philadelphia Inquirer covered the story too. The article’s headline read: “Aged Hulk Comes Ashore.”
Several studies were done by several experts. It was stated that the hulk was most likely an 18th-century trading barge. Fran may be able to have a test performed in the future to see if a different conclusion can be reached.
“It provided us with a month of excitement,” Fran said. “The joy of having hundreds of visitors come to our town and memories of the adventure even to this day. To have all of these individuals was just amazing. And to be in all of those different papers was exciting.”