The Sindia: Ocean City's Shipwreck That Remains Today

OCEAN CITY, NJ — It was 1901 when the four-masted Sindia sailed from Kobe, Japan on its way to New York City. But the ship ran aground in Ocean City on its way, leading it to become one of the island's most iconic features for years.

Even today, while you can no longer see the wreck on the beach, it remains legendary.

It was a stormy night on Dec. 15, 1901 when the 329-foot ship ran aground near the 17th Street Beach, according to Weird NJ. Rumor has it that the crew was drunk when the nor'easter struck.

It sunk quickly, but didn't disappear. Instead, it remained partially visible on the beach, which naturally became quite the tourist attraction.

The ship sunk into the sand, where for many years it could still be seen when a nasty storm hit and uncovered parts of it.

Lore surrounding the Sindia mainly focuses on what else than buried treasure. Chinese urns and coins have been discovered at the site, and the ship was known to be carrying silk, porcelain, china and more, according to Weird NJ. Some items discovered were not listed as being on the ship.

Apparently, not all of the cargo on the ship has been recovered, either, adding to the legendary status of the wreck. Could there be treasure underneath your feet while walking on the hot sand?

Some believe it could be true, local historian John Loeper once told OCNJ Daily.

“The stories of the wreck have a lot of red flags,” Loeper told the outlet.

In fact, Loeper also told OCNJ Daily that he believed it may have not been a true shipwreck. John D. Rockefeller owned the ship, and Loeper theorized to the outlet that he had orchestrated the crash as a way to secretly unload silver to finance his fields.

The remains are still under the beach, and no one has been able to salvage the wreck. So it's possible that there truly is buried treasure down there, waiting to be uncovered.