Enemy vessel that exploded during 1748 battle may have been found in North Carolina river

Archaeologists in North Carolina recently discovered four 18th-century shipwrecks – including the likely remains of a detonated enemy vessel.

East Carolina University announced the discovery on July 24. The ships were located this spring at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, in the state’s Cape Fear region.

Jeremy Borrelli, a staff archaeologist for ECU’s maritime studies program, told Fox News Digital the team recovered 63 wooden shipwreck timbers – 47 of which are believed to be part of La Fortuna, a Spanish privateer ship from Cuba. 

La Fortuna attacked the port during King George’s War in 1748, one of the French and Indian conflicts in North America. It exploded near the wharves at Brunswick Town and has not been seen since.

Discovering the ship was pure luck, Borrelli said, as the remains of the vessel broke away from the Cape Fear River mud within two weeks of the start of the summer field school. 

“If luck hadn’t been on our side, the wreck might be lost forever from the coastal erosion impacting the historic site’s shoreline,” the archaeologist said. 

Remarkably, the wooden remains “look like they were cut yesterday,” said Borrelli.

“Each timber is remarkably preserved, and most still retain original tool marks from the shipwright to shape the tree into frames or planking.”

Divers also uncovered the wreck of a flatboat, helping to shed light on everyday trade during the 18th century. 

Archaeologists also found a vessel likely used for landfill retention, plus another one that remains unidentified.

Borrelli said the team also found hundreds of artifacts, though they only collected the items that will help determine the age of the ships.

The finds included ceramic pieces, glass bottles and clay tobacco pipes, plus a cooper’s adze, barrel heads and staves.

Sailcloth, leather shoes, possible clothing fragments and a butchered animal bone were also recovered at the site.

“Two Spanish Puebla Blue-on-White majolica ceramic sherds were found among the recovered shipwreck timbers,” Borrelli added. 

“This ceramic type is directly associated with 18th-century Spanish-American archaeological sites, and is another clue supporting the preliminary identification of La Fortuna.”

He said the discovery provides new insight into colonial North Carolina history, from the port town’s vulnerability to how wrecked ships were used for land retention infrastructure.

“To find this variety of shipwrecks in close proximity to other historic waterfront infrastructure is rare and incredibly exciting,” Borrelli said. 

“These wrecks represent a range of past maritime activities that will help us to understand how ports like Brunswick Town helped shape the early development of North Carolina,” he continued. 

“Their discovery shows the importance of protecting historic places and the finite cultural resources within them.”

The shipwreck remains are being analyzed by ECU conservationists. The project’s preliminary findings are encouraging, but there is still “a lot more work to be done,” said Borrelli. 

“This will allow us to analyze the shipwreck as it was originally situated on the riverbed as well as compare the site to other 18th-century ships to determine what type of watercraft it might be.”