Underwater archaeology students from the University of East Carolina spent part of this summer surveying the colonial waterfront at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson when they unexpectedly stumbled onto the wreck site of a 1700s Spanish privateer.
The accidental finding happened after two divers became disoriented in the silty conditions. During this event a diver’s hand struck a series of wooden frames protruding from the clay mud.
Faint traces of planking hinted at something far more significant. This turned out to be the wreck of the Spanish privateer La Fortuna.
Historical documents record La Fortuna’s arrival from Cuba alongside another privateer, La Loretta, near the close of the War of Jenkins’ Ear. Local militia forced the Spanish to retreat toward their ships. Then an explosion in La Fortuna’s powder magazine broke up the ship beside the colonial wharves. This marked the final engagement of that conflict.
Commenting on the findings, Cory van Hees, an ECU maritime studies graduate student, stated:
“The visibility is consistently pretty low in the Cape Fear River. Evan attempted to find the northern extent of the wharf but had become disoriented due to the conditions. We switched roles, and the same happened to me on my attempt. While lost, I came across several wooden frames barely sticking out of the clay mud, with evidence of planking just barely visible on the surface. I didn’t understand what I was looking at in that moment, but I knew I should relay the wooden structure to faculty.”
While the team lead Dr. Jason Raupp added:
“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.
“These submerged colonial waterfront features are incredibly well-preserved.”
