Latest news with #LaFortuna
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists locate 'La Fortuna,' a Spanish ship that exploded in 1748 along North Carolina's coast
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists have discovered four 18th-century shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina, including what may be the wreck of La Fortuna, a Spanish privateer from Cuba that exploded during an attack in 1748. The wrecks were found near Brunswick Town, a major Colonial port on the southern coast of North Carolina. The town was the first successful European settlement of the Cape Fear region (named due to 16th-century sailors' fears of getting shipwrecked), and the port was used to export pine products like tar and turpentine used by the Royal Navy. But archaeologists surveying the area had not expected to find such a large number of wrecks and colonial artifacts. "Visibility [underwater] is consistently pretty low in the Cape Fear River," Cory van Hees, a graduate student at East Carolina University (ECU), said in a statement. Van Hees got disoriented while diving and came across beams of wood sticking out of the mud. "I didn't understand what I was looking at in that moment," van Hees said, "but I knew I should relay the wooden structure to faculty." The project co-leaders, ECU maritime archaeologists Jason Raupp and Jeremy Borrelli, think one of the wrecks, which comprises 47 timbers, is La Fortuna. Historical records note that two Spanish ships anchored off Brunswick Town on Sept. 4, 1748. The Spanish began to raid the then-English town, but they were surprised by a counterattack from the colonists a couple of days later. During the attack, La Fortuna exploded and sank. The project team found two major clues that the wreck is indeed La Fortuna: the timbers and the artifacts nearby, including Spanish pottery. Some of the wood used in the ship's construction was from a cypress species native to Central America. This suggests that shipbuilders used raw materials from a Spanish Caribbean colony to construct the ship, according to the statement, and La Fortuna is the only Spanish ship known to have sunk in this area. Related: Coins worth over $1 million recovered from 1715 Spanish treasure shipwrecks in Florida Image 1 of 4 A barrel stave with the Roman numerals IIIIV inscribed on it, found near one of the Colonial wharves at Brunswick Town. Image 2 of 4 A cooper's cuttingtool, known as an adze, was found on the beach at Brunswick Town. Image 3 of 4 A Spanish majolica ceramic sherd was found among the assemblage of shipwreck timbers recovered from the beach at Brunswick Town. Image 4 of 4 The Colonial timber-crib wharf site is exposed from the eroding coastal marsh at the Brunswick Town historic site. While recording the shipwrecks this summer, the team "found hundreds of artifacts," Borrelli told Live Science in an email, including "ceramic sherds, glass container bottles, clay tobacco pipes, a cooper's adze [cutting tool], barrel heads and staves, sailcloth, leather shoes, possible clothing fragments, and butchered animal bone." In addition, two fragments of 18th-century Spanish-American ceramics are "another clue supporting the preliminary identification of La Fortuna," Borrelli said. RELATED STORIES —'Pirate' shipwrecks that sank in 1710 off Costa Rica are actually remains of Danish slave ships —300-year-old pirate-plundered shipwreck that once held 'eyewatering treasure' discovered off Madagascar —Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism may have jammed constantly, like a modern printer. Was it just a janky toy? The other three wrecks are still something of a mystery. All of them have construction details and artifacts that suggest they were used in the 1700s, Borrelli said, which means the wrecks are likely associated with the 50-year lifespan of the Colonial port at Brunswick Town. But coastal erosion has dramatically impacted the archaeological site, scattering the shipwrecks' remains over a wide area, he said. Raupp and Borrelli plan to continue their investigation into the wrecks. "As we dig deeper and uncover more evidence, it may lead us in another direction," Borrelli said. "It is highly improbable that any of the other shipwrecks found at Brunswick Town are Spanish vessels, but we can't rule anything out at the moment." Solve the daily Crossword
Metro
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Gripping' Spanish thriller with Stanley Tucci quietly added to free platform
A 'distinctive' series about a diplomat hunting down a team of treasure hunters to recover their spoils is now streaming for free in the UK. First hitting screens in 2021, La Fortuna is a Spanish-American adventure drama television miniseries. Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the series marked the acclaimed filmmakers first foray into small screen productions. Based on the 2018 graphic novel El tesoro del Cisne Negro by Paco Roca and Guillermo Corral, the six-parter was also based on an incredible true story. In 1804 the Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes was sunk by the British Navy off the south coast of Portugal during the Battle of Cap Santa Maria. Over two centuries later, in 2007, the Florida-based company Odysseus Marine Exploration reported having discovered a shipwreck, later revealed to be the Senora. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The crew recovered almost 500,000 silver and gold coins from the wreck before transporting them to the United States. But soon after the Spanish government kickstarted a legal battle over what it considered to be illegal looting, with the coins estimated to be worth around $500,000 (£368,000). In the TV show, the story focuses on Alex Ventura (Álvaro Mel), a young diplomat who ends up spearheading efforts to recover the underwater shipwreck of La Fortuna, seized off the coast of Gibraltar by Frank Wild (Stanley Tucci), a treasure hunter. It was teased of the show: 'La Fortuna was known to be carrying gold gathered all over South America to fund the Spanish war effort. Wild and his crew claim to have found it by chance. Now the Spanish government wants it back.' The series also stars Ana Polvorosa as Lucía Vallarta, a civil servant and T'Nia Miller as Susan McLean, a lawyer collaborating with Frank. At the time reviews of the series were mixed from critics and viewers, but many did share they were drawn in by the unique premise. 'There is no puzzle to solve in La Fortuna, no hidden messages, and that relative straightforwardness coupled with the actors' clinic put on by Tucci and Peters is enough to make La Fortuna worth retrieving from the depths of streaming,' Vulture wrote in its review. 'La Fortuna's distinctive story, combined with the standout performances from Tucci and Peters, make the show one we want to stick with,' Decider shared. 'It's a very topical, hot-button issue that the series addresses, intelligently and not without acknowledging that its central controversy has two sides — even if director and co-writer Alejandro Amenábar makes clear which side he's on,' the Wall Street Journal added. Deadline explained the show as 'a strange, soupy hybrid of courtroom drama, Indiana Jones fantasies and an Iberian version of The Office'. Meanwhile fans said it was a 'breath of fresh air worth binging', a 'masterpiece' and even 'the best Spanish series ever'. Speaking to Empire in 2022, Stanley spoke about being drawn to his character, who is described in the first episode as a 'pirate'. What drew you to your character in La Fortuna****, who is actually described in the first episode 'I mean, that's what drew me to him, that he's really complicated,' he said. 'He seems to be one thing, but turns out to be another thing. He's a very complex guy, and those are always great roles to play.' More Trending In real life, a U.S. federal court and a panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld the Spanish claim to the contents of La Fortuna. However, they were not returned until 2013, when a court ordered Odyssey Marine to return the coins, which totalled 14.5 tonnes. They are now held in the National Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology in Cartagena (Murcia) for cataloguing, study and permanent display. La Fortuna is streaming on ITVX. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: The 7 best 'explosive' Australian thrillers free to watch in UK MORE: Star of iconic ITV sitcom addresses claim she's 'living from couch to couch' MORE: 'Engrossing' ITV thriller from the creator of Line of Duty confirms comeback
