On March 29th of 1984 the 471-foot Maltese freighter "Eldia" rode high in the waters off the coast of Massachusetts having just unloaded her cargo of sugar in Canada. As she steamed south to her next port of Norfolk,VA, the Eldia encountered a fierce storm packing over 75 knot winds generating 30 foot seas. The empty ship was no match for this oncoming fury and was driven aground on Nauset Beach, Cape Cod.
The crew of 23 were airlifted to safety by a Coast Guard HH-3F helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod. The ship was salvaged by DonJon Marine Company, Inc. of Hillsdale, NJ using their A-frame derrick barge "Century". DonJon Marine received title to the Eldia as payment for refloating the ship from the strand. The Eldia was then towed to the old Direcktor Shipyard in Coddington Cove, R.I where she was ballasted in order to sit on the bottom and stayed there as a breakwater.
After approximately a year or so, the ship was dewatered and given one last voyage.
It was towed to a ship breaking yard on Staten Island, NY where it was ultimately demolished for scrap since the hull was no longer cargo worthy after being damaged from the grounding on Nauset Beach. Although never to be seen again, the unusual sight of such a large vessel stranded on barren flat sand was one few will ever forget.
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