Originally posted by muffins:

Something broke your ship (either a mob or waves bashing it into rocks), then the items despawned. Nothing despawns inside workbench range (though mobs will destroy workbenches). Outside workbench range and in water items despawn VERY quickly (I've tested it, throwing stuff into the sea), but I don't know if that is true if also within workbench range.

I always kill any nearby mobs and put down a fire and workbench whenever I park a boat. Just in case.

I thought this too, but just a couple days ago I was out sailing and had bad fog roll in and got

beached unfortunately in the plains right in front of a fuling base.

I jumped ship and ran. They destroyed the ship. I cleared the fulings over a 20 minute span and returned to where my ship had been. All the resources were still there for it.

I had thought if items were destroyed or deconstructed by the player you would get the resources back, but if destroyed by enemies they would disappear.

Apparently not the case?