Enemy vessel that exploded during 1748 battle may have been found in North Carolina river

Archaeologists in North Carolina recently discovered four 18th-century shipwrecks – including the likely remains of a detonated enemy vessel.

East Carolina University announced the discovery on July 24. The ships were located this spring at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, in the state’s Cape Fear region.

Jeremy Borrelli, a staff archaeologist for ECU’s maritime studies program, told Fox News Digital the team recovered 63 wooden shipwreck timbers – 47 of which are believed to be part of La Fortuna, a Spanish privateer ship from Cuba.

La Fortuna attacked the port during King George’s War in 1748, one of the French and Indian conflicts in North America. It exploded near the wharves at Brunswick Town and has not been seen since.

Discovering the ship was pure luck, Borrelli said, as the remai