Potential Discovery of the Famous Pirate Ship Missing Since 1748 Off the Coast of North Carolina

Under the calm waters of the Cape Fear river, in North Carolina, tangible traces of the colonial war reappear. In Brunswick Town, a former 18th century strategic merchant port, archaeologists from East Carolina University (ECU) have recently uncovered four wrecks, hitherto buried under the mud and the coastal marshes. One of them could be the fortuna, a Spanish corsair who came to attack the port in 1748, in the midst of King George.

A discovery at the heart of colonial maritime history

It was during the submarine excavation campaign between May and June 2025 that the ECU team (East Carolina University), supervised by Professor Jason Raupp, documented four wrecks in the shallow waters of the historic site of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, located in North Carolina. This site is registered in the national register of historic places. We recognize its strategic value during the colonial period and the Civil War. Founded in 1726, Brunswick Town constituted one of the first merchant ports in the region. Before being partially destroyed on several occasions, notably by the Spanish and British troops.

The most striking discovery could well be that of a building identified as Fortuna, a Spanish corsair ship from Cuba. According to the historic archives, this building exploded near the colonial quay during a maritime assault in September 1748. During the last clashes of the war of King George. The exact site of the supposed sinking is near the place where an 18th century cannon, attributed to the same ship, had been recovered in 1985.

It was by trying to delimit the structures of an old quay that the master's degree in Master Cory Van Hees spotted several wooden frames flush with the mud. Under very low visibility conditions, he first believed in an abnormality in the field. But after verification by Professor Raupp, the hypothesis of a wreck was confirmed. The emotion of the discovery, mixed with the historic weight of the place, marked the team. “” It was a fairly strong moment, I knew that what I had found could really advance our understanding of the local colonial past Said Van Hees in a press release.

Fortuna: an identity that is becoming clearer

This hypothesis of Fortuna Based on a bundle of material and contextual indications, currently being analyzed. Among the most convincing elements: the nature of the woods used for the construction of the ship. Samples taken from the combination revealed the presence of Cypresses de Monterey (Macrocarpa cupressus) and Mexican cypress (Cupressus lusitanica). These are two endemic species respectively in California and Central America. However, these regions were an integral part of the Spanish colonial empire in the 18th century. This typology of wood reinforces the hypothesis of a construction carried out in the shipyards of the Spanish colonies. And not in local or North American British sites.

These botanical data are added to another important clue. The wreckage is located near the place where Due Dennison Breece had found a cannon of Spanish bill in 1985. Only a few tens of meters away. This cannon had already been assigned, hypothetically, to Fortuna.

Another significant discovery on the site: a fragment of Spanish majolica. This glaze ceramic was widespread in cargoes and domestic uses of the Hispanic ships of the 18th century. It is a strong cultural marker. Its presence among submerged debris suggests a direct link with a building of Hispanic origin. Taken together, these elements therefore converge on a probable identification of the wreckage as being that of Fortuna. Note, however, that additional analyzes are still necessary to confirm it formally.

Three other wrecks, witnesses of an abundant port activity

Beyond the possible Fortunathe other three wrecks shed complementary lighting on the organization of the colonial port in the 18th century. One of them seems to have been deliberately scuttled in the immediate vicinity of a quay. Its regular sinking in the river bed and its orientation perpendicular to the bank could attest it. Why scuttle it? Surely for a backfilling project. A method commonly used at the time to gain ground on marshy areas and consolidate port infrastructure.

A second boat has the characteristics of a flatboat. This type of flat -bottomed boat is designed to navigate in shallow waters. This type of ship made it possible to ensure the transport of goods-tobacco, rice, indigo-between the plantations of the hinterland and the port of Brunswick, the nerve point of regional trade. The third site, still very partially visible, is limited to some elements of structure emerging from the mud. Its identification remains unanswered, but additional excavations must take place later this year.

In addition to these wrecks, the researchers documented two old quays built in wooden boxes filled with stones. They also found a roadway crossing a coastal marsh, as well as a set of artifacts linked to daily life, trade and military activities.

Professor Jason Raupp insists on the collective scope of this work, reports Arkeonews. “” These advances are the result of cooperation between our university program, public bodies and local partners ». The project is indeed based on close collaboration with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources de Caroline du Nord, the Office of State Archaeology, the Queen Anne's Revenge Laboratory, and the Friends of BTFA association.

The urgency of preserving threatened heritage

The growing fragility of the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson site is today a major challenge for archaeologists. If recent discoveries bear witness to an exceptional state of conservation, they are also the result of a disturbing process. Namely: accelerated erosion of the southern coast. The northern part is now protected by dissipation structures. However, this area remains entirely exposed to the natural dynamics of Cape Fear River. The seasonal storms, the amplification of the current linked to the dredging of the channel, and the constant action of the waves lead to a rapid degradation of the banks, updating – then carrying – the buried vestiges.

Faced with this threat, the team led by Jason Raupp had to intervene in an emergency. It has extracted more than forty elements of the frame as possible Fortuna, During the summer. Even though the structures were starting to disintegrate. They are transferred to the Queen Anne's Revenge conservation laboratory. These woods are sometimes marked by the tools of the original carpenters. They will require years of treatment to be stabilized and analyzed.

For researchers like Cory Van Hees, the situation requires immediate responsibility: that of preserving not only objects. But also to preserve the stories they allow to document. Because these wrecks do not represent isolated curiosities. They are part of a dense historic network, linked to colonization, Atlantic exchanges and maritime conflicts. Their disappearance would be equivalent to an irremediable loss of knowledge.

The preservation of the site therefore does not depend only on scientific advance, but also on political and budgetary choices. Without sustainable investments to secure the area and continue excavations, it is an entire part of the colonial maritime history of North Carolina which risks sinking forever.