Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (07/24/2025) — 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.
“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... “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...
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. This summer, 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...
Here is the link for the rest of that article.
North Carolina got more surf than we received from the systems to the north of us. On Thursday they had around six feet. Not huge for that part of the world, but more than what we've been getting.
I only metal detected up in that area once and didn't do any good. I had very little time and didn't know the area at all. I left a big knife I purchased at a store for digging buried at the base of a lamppost in case I returned and needed a digger again. I never did return so maybe it is still there but probably badly corroded.
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La Fortuna is part of a lesser-known chapter in North Carolina's history, involving the Spanish attacks on British colonists and shipping.
Privately owned Spanish warships preyed on British ships off the coast in the early 1740s, leading to Spaniards landing at Brunswick and taking the town on Sept. 3, 1748, during what is known as King George's War, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources says.
"The next day local militia led by Captain William Dry attacked the Spaniards, who fled to the safety of the Fortuna," the department says.
"In the chaos of the battle, the Fortuna opened fire with her cannons, and then (likely as a result of a fire in the powder magazine) ‘took fire and blew up.'"...
Here is the link for the rest of that article.
Ship that exploded in 1748 attack on NC town may have been found, officials say
Erosion continues to uncover the past.
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Here is a little about the wave attenuators mentioned in the first article.
Here is the link for more about wave attenuators.
Living Shoreline Solutions - Wave Attenuation Devices - Living Shoreline Solutions
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Rufus and his men indeed searched for silver, it seems, but decamped before hitting the mother lode. We now know there was enough silver in the region to have altered the course of the empire. But the enormity of their near miss would not become clear until millennia later, after a persistently curious German hunter put all the pieces together.
A keen-eyed German hunter named Jurgen Eigenbrod noticed subtle color differences in a grain field — a clue that would lead to one of the most fascinating archaeological discoveries in recent years.
From his elevated perch, Eigenbrod spotted faint markings in the crops. These discolorations hinted at subsurfaee structures, possibly ancient. His curiosity led to further investigation using drone photography and geomagnetic scans, which confirmed the presence of Roman military camps.
The camps were linked to Curtius Rufus, a Roman governor who attempted to mine silver in the area around 47 AD, but ultimately failed. If they had kept digging, they might have uncovered enough silver to sustain mining for two centuries.
Eigenbrod’s sharp observation reignited interest in the site, leading to excavations that revealed two previously unknown military camps, a network of 40 wooden towers.
For the entire story, here is the link.
The ancient Romans' most expensive mistake in their hunt for silver | National Geographic
Thanks to DJ for that link.
There are some good clues for you in that story.
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
So the ativity has moved north, as expected.
We are left with more one and two foot surf on the Treasure Coast.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net