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All the United States Delaware Fenwick Island Discoversea Shipwreck Museum

Discoversea Shipwreck Museum

A desiccated merman and a walrus penis bone are among the oddities in this eclectic collection of shipwreck treasures.

Fenwick Island, Delaware

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jen s
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Merman.   jens / Atlas Obscura User
Walrus penis bone.   jens / Atlas Obscura User
The exterior of the museum.   Map Date © 2017 Google
“X” marks the spot   Edward Denny / Atlas Obscura User
  Deniseg2266 / Atlas Obscura User
Chamber pot from the RMS Titanic   Edward Denny / Atlas Obscura User
Treasures from the sea!   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

If you’re looking to take a break from the beaches of Delaware’s Fenwick Island, be sure to check out the area's unique Shipwreck Museum. It’s stocked with an abundance of treasures plucked from shipwrecks both local and distant.

You enter through a cheesy seashell shop, complete with a homemade animatronic welcomer and claw game. Go upstairs, and you’ll find the life passion of a diver who personally collected most of these remains from shipwrecks. (Some of the artifacts on display were also donated by the public.) 

The museum holds about 10,000 artifacts, making it one of the largest collections of its kind along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard. It’s full of treasures like gold bars, a desiccated Feejee mermaid, a taxidermy shark, and a bone from a walrus’s penis, known as an oosik. 

There’s also a handmade diorama of a shipwreck recovery scene, which includes blue cellophane, rubber fish, and tiny diving men. It’s an ever-changing exhibit, so there’s no guarantee as to what you’ll uncover.

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Collections Shipwrecks Mermaids Whale Bones

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Make sure you check hours, especially if it's not beach season.

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jens

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Edward Denny, Kerry Wolfe, blimpcaptain, Deniseg2266

  • Edward Denny
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • blimpcaptain
  • Deniseg2266

Published

October 18, 2017

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  • http://www.discoversea.com/
  • https://exploreoc.com/listing/DiscoverSea-Shipwreck-Museum
Discoversea Shipwreck Museum
708 Coastal Highway
Fenwick Island, Delaware
United States
38.457304, -75.052602
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Transpeninsular Line Marker

Fenwick Isle, Delaware

miles away

Chief Little Owl

Bethany Beach, Delaware

miles away

Cecile Steele's Chicken House

Ocean View, Delaware

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Delaware

Delaware

United States

Places 52
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Transpeninsular Line Marker

Fenwick Isle, Delaware

miles away

Chief Little Owl

Bethany Beach, Delaware

miles away

Cecile Steele's Chicken House

Ocean View, Delaware

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Delaware

Delaware

United States

Places 52
Stories 1

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