Wreck of historic Spanish ship that was attacked in 1748 possibly found in North Carolina

CBS News

6 hours ago

Four shipwrecks – including the remains believed to be a 1748 Spanish privateer ship – were recently found at a historical site in North Carolina.
A team of archeologists with East Carolina University's program in maritime studies was searching the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site in Brunswick County, North Carolina, in May and June when they made the discoveries.
In a statement, the university said the team collected wood samples that suggest the shipbuilders incorporated raw materials from Spanish Caribbean colonies in the 18th century. The team said that while more work is needed to confirm any identification of the remains, they believe they may be those of La Fortuna, a Spanish privateer from Cuba that exploded near the colonial wharves during an attack on the port at the end of King George's War in September 1748.
"I came across several wooden frames barely sticking out of the clay mud with evidence of planking just barely visible on the surface," maritime studies graduate student Cory van Hees, who was part of the discovery, said in the press release. "I didn't understand what I was looking at in that moment, but I knew I should relay the wooden structure to faculty."
He added, "Later that day, Dr. Jason Raupp was able to confirm this was a wreck, which may be La Fortuna. It was kind of overwhelming and a little emotional feeling once it set in."
The ship was involved in an attack that took place during King George's War between 1744 and 1748 - several decades before the American Revolution.
According to ECU, the wreck lies in proximity to where an 18th-century cannon thought to be from La Fortuna was recovered in 1985.
More than 40 pieces of timber from what is thought to be La Fortuna were collected as part of an "emergency recovery" to save the ship's remains from advancing erosion and other threats, university officials said.
"The shipwreck sites and colonial waterfront features previously covered beneath the protective marsh were found exposed and eroded in this area," officials said. "Although the site itself had broken apart, individual shipwreck timbers demonstrated a remarkable degree of preservation with some containing tool markings left by the historic shipwright."
All the collected timber was transferred to the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology's Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Laboratory at ECU's campus in Greenville for storage and eventual conservation treatment.
"The successful recovery of the possible La Fortuna shipwreck and documentation of heritage at risk within a nationally significant historic site demonstrates the effectiveness of the collaborative efforts of the research team," said Dr. Jason Raupp, assistant professor in the Department of History and maritime studies, who led the team.
The remains of three other shipwrecks were uncovered at the historic site's waterfront along the Cape Fear River.
Preliminary analysis suggests that one was used for land reclamation at the waterfront, while another is a potential colonial flatboat, which was historically used to transport people and goods between the port and nearby plantations, the university said. The fourth was barely exposed and its remains are still unidentified.
"Additional colonial port infrastructure and artifacts identified through the field schools include two timber-crib wharves, a causeway over the historic marsh, and numerous artifacts that shed light on colonial life, trade, maritime activity and military conflict at the historic site," the university said.
"We are extremely excited about these important sites, as each one will help us to better understand the role of BTFA as one of the state's earliest colonial port towns," Raupp said in a statement. "These submerged colonial waterfront features are incredibly well-preserved and present an excellent opportunity for ECU students to engage in hands-on, collaborative research."