This page contains information related to the 18th century vessel recovered beneath the Highway 50 bridge over the Nanticoke River in 2015.
Here is a cheat sheet about the shipwreck.
Battle of Vienna Event on August 29th
Come see parts of the shipwreck yourself at the Captain John Smith Nanticoke River Discovery Center at 113 Old Ocean Gateway in Vienna, as part of the ticketed Battle of Vienna event put on jointly by the Vienna Heritage Society and Handsell on Saturday, August 29th, from 10am-4pm.
For more details about both Vienna and the event, visit OceanCity.com’s informative blog post: The Battle of Vienna: The Revolutionary War Story Hidden Along the Road to Ocean City.
News Stories about the Shipwreck
- 8/24/15: EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SHIPWRECK DISCOVERED IN THE NANTICOKE RIVER (Maryland Department of Transportation: State Highway Administration)
- 8/24/15: 18th-century shipwreck discovered in Vienna (WBALTV11)
- 8/24/15: 200-year-old ship found beneath Route 50 bridge (Delmarva Now)
- 8/25/15: 200-Year-Old Shipwreck Found On Md. Eastern Shore (CBS News)
- 9/4/15: 18th century shipwreck discovered in Nanticoke River under US 50 bridge (WBFF)
- 9/30/15: Shipwreck Found in Nanticoke River (PropTalk)
- 10/20/16: Shipwreck found in Nanticoke River – updated (MyEasternShoreMD)
- 11/22/16: Vienna Shipwreck Dates to Mid-1700’s (Delmarva Public Media)
- 5/13/17: Ancient Nanticoke Shipwreck Update (Chesapeake Bay Magazine)
- 6/29/19: Nanticoke River shipwreck could be linked to Revolutionary War skirmish – updated (Baltimore Sun)
- 10/22/21: UPDATED: Md. SHA Recovers 18th Century Shipwreck From Nanticoke River (WBOC)
- 10/22/21: Shipwreck Found Underneath Vienna Bridge Being Preserved, Brought Home To Vienna (WBOC)
- 8/4/26: Our Town Vienna: The Unfinished Life of the Nanticoke River Shipwreck (Cambridge Spy)
- 8/14/26: Remains of Colonial Era Shipwreck Return to Vienna (Delmarva Public Media)
Research about the Shipwreck
- Maryland Historical Trust: Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory for Site 18DO497 (Nanticoke River Shipwreck)
- SEARCH: Phase I and Phase II Underwater Investigations of the Nanticoke River Shipwreck, Dorchester County, Maryland
