Archaeologists discover at-risk shipwrecks at Brunswick Town, Fort Anderson
A team of archaeologists with East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime Studies recently discovered multiple shipwrecks and colonial waterfront features at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site (BTFA) in Brunswick County, North Carolina. One group of remains may be those of La Fortuna, the Spanish privateer from Cuba that exploded near the colonial wharves at Brunswick Town during an attack on the port at the end of King George’s War in September 1748.
ECU maritime studies faculty and graduate students perform an emergency recovery of a section from the possible La Fortuna shipwreck at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, for temporary storage at the N.C. Underwater Archaeology Branch headquarters. (Photos courtesy of ECU Program in Maritime Studies).
“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,” said Dr. Jason Raupp, assistant professor in the Department of History and maritime studies, who led the team. “These submerged colonial waterfront features are incredibly well-preserved and present an excellent opportunity for ECU students to engage in hands-on, collaborative research.”
BTFA is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places that contains a well-preserved landscape with archaeological sites associated with the colonial port town and Civil War defensive fortifications. The field schools conducted by ECU include students in the maritime studies program, housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Department of History.
Spanish privateer ship La Fortuna; 1748
In May and June, ECU archaeologists recorded four newly discovered shipwrecks along the BTFA shoreline. Wood species samples collected from one wreck indicate that some of the wood used in its construction was sourced from either Monterey cypress (H. macrocarpa) or Mexican cypress (H. lusitanica). The historical range of this wood species is limited to southern California and Central America, respectively, which suggests that shipbuilders incorporated raw materials from Spanish Caribbean colonies in the 18th century. As the only historically reported shipwreck of Spanish origin in the area, the remains may be those of La Fortuna. This wreck lies in proximity to where an 18th-century cannon thought to be from La Fortuna was recovered in 1985 by Southport diver Dennison Breece. More work is needed to confirm any identification of the remains.
Maritime studies graduate student Cory van Hees was part of the discovery.
“My dive buddy, Evan Olinger, and I were taking width measurements of Wharf Four to help delineate the site. 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,” van Hees said. “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. I didn’t understand what I was looking at in that moment, but I knew I should relay the wooden structure to faculty. 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.”
Van Hees said his father’s love of history, diving and shipwrecks, and his own goal of becoming a maritime archaeologist, greatly influenced his decision to attend ECU.
“ECU is one of only a few universities in the U.S. and globally that provide a degree focused on maritime archaeology,” he said. “After hearing of ECU’s reputation, I knew that ECU would provide me with better field and academic experiences than the other universities.”
Graduate student Brylee Huber measures recovered frames from the possible La Fortuna shipwreck site at the N.C. Underwater Archaeology Branch headquarters.
Additional discoveries
Three other shipwreck sites were also uncovered at the BTFA waterfront over the course of this summer’s field school.
Preliminary analysis suggests that one was likely used for land reclamation at the waterfront based on its positioning immediately next to a colonial wharf site. Another is a potential colonial flatboat — a watercraft historically used to transport people and goods between the port and nearby plantations. 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.
Erosion puts future discoveries at risk
Unfortunately, these shipwrecks, waterfront infrastructure, and artifacts are at risk, Raupp said. Ongoing shoreline erosion at BTFA from recent channel dredging, dynamic wave energy, and larger storms have all contributed to significant damage to BTFA’s natural and historic waterfront. Living shoreline wave attenuators currently protect the northern half of the historic site’s shoreline. Wave energy, however, continues to erode the unprotected estuarine marsh at the southern shoreline above the historic property’s boundary with the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point.
The shipwreck sites and colonial waterfront features previously covered beneath the protective marsh were found exposed and eroded in this area. During this year’s field school, the team documented the remains and undertook emergency recovery of over 40 shipwreck timbers from what is thought to be La Fortuna. 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 shipwreck timbers were transferred safely to the N.C. Office of State Archaeology’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory at ECU’s West Research Campus in Greenville for storage and eventual conservation treatment. Research and analysis into the construction and identity of each of the four shipwrecks is ongoing.
“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 Raupp.
Continuing ECU’s maritime studies research project at the historic site is made possible by assistance from N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources personnel of the Division of State Historic Sites, the Office of State Archaeology Underwater Archaeology Branch, Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory and the nonprofit group Friends of BTFA. Wood species identification was provided by the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory.
BTFA’s archaeological sites and artifacts both on land and underwater are protected from disturbance and looting by state and federal laws. ECU maintains a state archaeological permit to conduct fieldwork at BTFA where its summer 2024 and 2025 field schools surveyed and documented shoreline and underwater archaeological sites.
Contributed to by Dr. Jason Raupp.