NANTUCKET, Mass. —

Preservation efforts are underway on Nantucket after the discovery of a shipwreck following a recent Nor'easter.

Karen Russell said she discovered a sternpost and rudder from a fishing vessel believed to date back to the 1800s on the eastern part of the island while metal detecting after the storm. She noticed brass finishing, prompting her to call a shipwreck expert.

The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum is now working quickly to obtain permission from the state to remove the artifact before it gets washed back out to sea.

"I love that idea of something getting saved and preserved and then on display for everybody; it makes me pretty happy," Russell said.

Russell says the discovery ranks high among her most interesting finds. The piece weighs an estimated 400

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