N.C. shipwreck deemed older than originally estimated

From Pilot Online: N.C. shipwreck deemed older than originally estimated

By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot
COROLLA, N.C.

A shipwreck exposed in December by winter storms could date back to shipping between England and Jamestown in the early 1600s.

Possibly the oldest known wreck on the North Carolina coast, the timbers and construction of the ship are very similar to the Sea Venture, the 1609 flagship of a set of vessels carrying people and supplies to Jamestown, said Bradley A. Rodgers, a professor of archaeology and conservation in the maritime studies program at East Carolina University.

Remains of the Sea Venture rest off the Bermuda coast.

North Carolina underwater archaeologists and maritime history experts and students from ECU have documented, sampled and measured the 12-ton remains since they were towed from the surf to rest on a lot near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

Plans are to transport them 90 miles down N.C. 12 to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras for long term display.

“It has a very unusual design,” Rodgers said. “We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw that thing.”

Now, an ECU graduate will take on the historical research as part of his thesis, Rodgers said. Records of the time are sparse. More than likely details will be found in the Public Record Office in London, Rodgers said.

“It’s going to be a detective story now,” Rodgers said. “He’s going to have to follow every lead he can.”