Students stumble upon wooden planks — discover remains of a 300-year-old Spanish ship

A team of researchers and students working on a field project in the Cape Fear River came across a stunning discovery. While they had been there to study the archaeological site of the colonial port town and Civil War defensive fortifications at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site (BTFA) in North Carolina, they ended up uncovering what is believed to be the remains of La Fortuna, a Spanish colonial privateer ship.

The researchers still have to confirm that the remnants are from La Fortuna, but initial evidence suggests that the remains are from said ship, which exploded near the wharves of the colonial port town in September 1748 when it was attacking the port at the end of King George’s War.

“Kind of overwhelming and a little emotional”

The team of archaeologists with East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime Studies were performing field research at the BTFA as its “incredibly well-preserved” submerged colonial waterfront features “present an excellent opportunity for ECU students to engage in hands-on, collaborative research,” explained Dr. Jason Raupp, assistant professor in the Department of History and maritime studies in a press release.

Cory van Hees stumbled across the wreckage of La Fortuna when he and his fellow diver Evan Olinger were attempting to take measurements of Wharf Four but got disoriented in the generally murky waters of the Cape Fear River. “While lost, in the search for the Northern extent of the wharf, I came across several wooden frames barely sticking out of the clay mud with evidence of planking just barely visible on the surface,” related van Hees.

“I didn’t understand what I was looking at in that moment, but I knew I should relay the wooden structure to faculty,” he shared. “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.”

Wood from wreckage points to remains belonging to La Fortuna

Samples of the wood taken from the wreckage indicate that at least part of the vessel was built with either Monterey cypress (H. macrocarpa) or Mexican cypress (H. lusitanica). These species were limited historically to southern California or Central America, respectively, which would imply that raw materials for the ship were sourced from the Spanish Caribbean colonies.

Furthermore, La Fortuna is the only Spanish ship that is recorded as having sunk in the area. Additionally, a cannon from the 18th century and thought to be from La Fortuna was recovered in the vicinity of the wreckage previously.

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