A buzz on social media on Wednesday about rumors of a “ghost ship from the 18th century” washing up off St. Augustine, Florida as a result of Hurricane Mliton has people shocked and interested. The story went viral and thousands were curious even after several inconsistencies.

However, to the disappointment of many, this turns out not to be true.

The rumor started a week after Hurricane Milton hit the Florida coast. Despite the fact that the storm hit on the other side of the state on October 9, the ghost ship story received significant attention. The original post was shared more than 21,000 times, with social media users spreading the story widely.

The ghost ship story was just a satire. It comes from Casper Planet, a Facebook page known for its humorous and completely made-up stories, similar to The Onion.

Casper Planet posted a follow-up story Friday morning with the title: “Tourists outraged after discovering non-existent 18th century pirate ship in Florida that wasn’t real all along.” The page continued: Have fun with the viral spread of the ghost ship story.

In its first report, Casper Planet claimed that the ship “emerged from the depths of the ocean when the Category 4 churned the Atlantic Ocean, sending the old ship ashore.” The dramatic description created a sense of mystery, but was factually incorrect. Hurricane Milton had made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, on the central west coast of Florida. The route then crossed the state’s peninsula and entered Brevard and Indian River counties – more than 120 miles from St. Augustine. The page also 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, emerge from the ocean during a hurricane – it is both fascinating and horrifying.”

Expert debunks the myth

According to the First Coast News report, Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, debunked the ghost ship claim, explaining that the ship’s depiction was unrealistic.

“Most of the wood from a ship hundreds of years old would have been eaten by bugs like shipworms,” Meide explained.

In previous cases where parts of ancient ships have been preserved, it is usually the lower part of the ship that becomes buried beneath the seabed.

Can hurricanes actually cause ‘ghost ships’ to wash ashore?

Although the ghost ship story was a hoax, there is some truth to the concept of hurricanes washing abandoned ships ashore. In fact, such incidents have occurred in the past.

According to Weather.com, a 45-foot ghost ship named Lady Catherine III was found on Pensacola beach on June 18 during Tropical Storm Alberto. The ship, battered but still intact, was found with no passengers on board. It was later learned that the boat belonged to Michael Barlow, a Texas man who had abandoned it earlier that month after dealing with the storm.

In another case, a 45-foot sailboat named Cuki broke loose from its mooring in Key West during Hurricane Irma in 2017. The boat drifted more than 300 miles along Florida’s east coast before washing up at Spessard Holland South Beach Park. USA Today reported that the boat was there for two years before being scrapped. The owner, Jeffrey Sundwall, was later incarcerated at the Jackson Correctional Institute in Malone, Florida.