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Hurricane Ike unearths mysterious wreckage

For decades, periodic storms along the Gulf Coast have unearthed wreckage buried beneath the sands at Fort Morgan, Ala. Each time the mysterious ship is exposed, rumors start circulating that it may be the Civil War blockade runner Ivanhoe, which according to the Florida State University anthropology Web site caught fire and was run aground on June 30, 1864, somewhere near Fort Morgan.

Once again Hurricane Ike brought the broken, dilapidated vessel, along with its many rumors, to life, but local historians say the wreckage is not Ivanhoe.

“It’s not a Civil War ship, it is some kind of coastal ship from after the Civil War,” said Blanton Blankenship, historic site manager at Fort Morgan, adding the vessel most likely is some type of rum runner during the Prohibition-era. “It turns up fairly regularly every time there is a pretty major storm, although more was uncovered this time.”

Blankenship said there are no records of a ship going ashore at that point of the beach, adding there also are no plans to recover the vessel.

“It’s unknown wreck that doesn’t seem to have any particular historic significance. ... No one really wants to do anything with it. The sand will just slowly cover it back up.”