The remains of a Spanish privateer that sank in North Carolina 300 years ago have been found.

In the waters of the Cape Fear River, off Brunswick Town, a North Carolina city that housed a major port in colonial times , a discovery as fortuitous as it was sensational has just taken place. Two archaeology students, diving to measure the width and northern extent of the Cape Fear River, became disoriented in its murky waters. “I saw several pieces of wood barely protruding from the clayey mud,” said Cory van Hees , one of the students who made the discovery. “At the time, I didn’t understand what I was seeing, but I knew I had to inform the faculty about the wooden structure.”

Those pieces of wood have led to the discovery of four sunken ships and several colonial port remains . Among the wrecks found are the remains of what is believed to be the Spanish privateer La Fortuna, one of the most feared ships of the 18th century, which sank in 1748 during a violent confrontation with the British colony of Brunswick.

That's at least what archaeologists from East Carolina University suspect after analyzing 40 pieces of wood found in the Cape Fear River, several of which bear marks from original tools dating back to the 18th century. A preliminary study by the specialists reveals that the wood pieces found were made of either Monterey cypress or Mexican cypress , species whose respective distribution areas are limited to southern California and Central America. This suggests, according to the researchers, that the vessels were built using materials from the Spanish colonies in the 18th century.

Furthermore, very close to the site where one of the sunken ships has now been located, a cannon , likely from a Spanish vessel, was found in 1985. All of this reinforces the possibility, according to archaeologists from East Carolina University, that this could be La Fortuna, a vessel that sank after being attacked by English troops in September 1748, during what is known as King George's War , although they caution that the identification is still unconfirmed.

King George's War was a conflict fought primarily between Great Britain and France over their respective colonies in the Western Hemisphere , but also pitting Great Britain against Spain . During this conflict, La Fortuna, a privateer from Cuba, took part in an attack on Brunswick Town, which was then a major colonial port.

It happened in early September 1748. After numerous Spanish naval raids on the British-controlled port of Brunswick, privateers disembarked their ships, including La Fortuna, and launched a land attack on the city. However, British troops forced them back, and the crew retreated to their ship. Amid an exchange of cannon fire, a powder magazine likely caught fire aboard La Fortuna, causing an explosion that killed the captain and numerous crew members. The ship foundered, and there it has remained for nearly 300 years , until its remains have been located.

But after La Fortuna sank, the ship was looted. The loot recovered from the wreck was used to finance the construction of two local churches : St. Philip's Church in Brunswick and St. James's Church in Wilmington.

In the waters of the Cape Fear River, off Brunswick Town, a North Carolina city that housed a major port in colonial times , a discovery as fortuitous as it was sensational has just taken place. Two archaeology students, diving to measure the width and northern extent of the Cape Fear River, became disoriented in its murky waters. “I saw several pieces of wood barely protruding from the clayey mud,” said Cory van Hees , one of the students who made the discovery. “At the time, I didn’t understand what I was seeing, but I knew I had to inform the faculty about the wooden structure.”