The Dreaded Shipworm—Scourge of the Sea
Smithsonian / National Academies of Sciences - March 20, 2005
In 1634, a great three-masted ship named the Dove set sail from England, transporting colonists and supplies to a new settlement in North America. The vessel never arrived. Nearly 400 years later, no one can say for certain what disaster befell the Dove. But maritime historians believe that an amazingly destructive little creature known as the “shipworm” was probably to blame.