Julia Griffin:

Today, the trio of unearthed ships, likely cargo vessels, sit just south of what had been Point Lumley.

Now exposed, their once-waterlogged timbers must be kept moist at all times to prevent warping and degradation. Archaeologists are now removing the hulls piece-by-piece and storing them in tanks of water, just as they did with another Revolutionary War era ship found a block away in 2015.

That ship is now at Texas A&M undergoing a years-long conservation process to prepare the fragile beams for study and display. Where the new ships end up has yet to be determined.

But, for Breen, the painstaking measures to preserve them are well worth the effort.