Child with metal detector finds nearly 200-year-old shipwreck [Video]

An eight-year-old wielding a metal detector has discovered a nearly two-century-old shipwreck in Ontario, Canada.

During a family trip to the Point Farms Provincial Park near Goderich in 2023, Lucas Atchison, now 10, found a small steel spike with his metal detector, a birthday gift, and decided to dig further.

The spike was found attached to a piece of wood, which in turn had several more spikes on it.

Further inspection revealed that the spikes and the wood were part of an entire wrecked ship.

The boy and his family reported the discovery to park staff and the volunteer group called Ontario Marine Heritage Committee, CBC News reported.

Archaeologists found the ship was likely an old schooner, a type of two-masted, wooden sailing vessel. It had double frames, hinting it was a stronger-built ship to transport goods.

The exact identity of the ship remains unclear, however.