ECU Program in Maritime Studies

The fieldschool led by Dr. Harris spent the past week working on a historically significant waterscape site in Wadboo Creek, near Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," was a Revolutionary War leader known for his innovative riverine guerrilla warfare in the South. The Battle of Wadboo Barony (August 1782) at this location was his last combat action and successful defense against the British. The land adjacent to the creek was owned by the Colleton family. The barony was granted in 1683 to James Colleton, son of John Colleton, one of the original Lords Proprietors of Carolina. During the American Revolution, The Colleton heirs were Loyalists.I

In 1979, 1982 -1983 the South Carolina State Underwater team (SCIAA) conducted excavations at the site recovering 10,000 artifacts associated with this time period and later in the creek. They did not record an overturned wooden shipwreck, barge and the slip ways around the bend now part of crew chief Ethan Whiten's MA thesis! Students meticulously tagged timbers and made scale drawings of these three features in addition to running search transects upstream and downstream locating and documenting a diverse material culture component.We appreciate the permission of Jim Spirek, current state underwater archaeologist to work on this site and Drew Ruddy, a SCIAA research associate for his assistance with logistics and his talk and recollections of the early excavations.

We love to see our students presenting their research to the local public! This presentation by MA student Emily Farmer is the result of research she conducted as part of HIST 6810 – History of Marine Architecture and Ship Construction. Excellent work Emily!!

⚓ Uncover a Maritime Mystery at June Historic Happy Hour 🍷

Join us on Tuesday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Old Baldy Lighthouse for an evening of history, conversation, and coastal intrigue.

This month's Historic Happy Hour features Emily Farmer, a graduate student in East Carolina University's Maritime Studies Program, who will present her research on the mysterious "Baldhead Rudder Wreck" discovered at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in 1987.

For decades, the wreck has been thought to be connected to La Rosa de Bilbao, a Spanish vessel lost off the North Carolina coast in 1804. But does the evidence support that conclusion? Through archaeology, historical records, and ship construction analysis, Emily explores whether the wreck's identity has finally been solved—or if the mystery continues.

Bring your beach chairs, settle in beneath the shadow of Old Baldy, and enjoy unlimited beer and wine while diving into one of the Cape Fear region's most fascinating shipwreck stories.

🎟️ No physical tickets are required—your name will be on the guest list at check-in.

Reserve your spot today and join us for a fascinating evening of maritime history:
https://shop.oldbaldy.org/module/class/646137/june-2026-historic-happy-hour

Special thanks to Robert and Debra Drumheller for their generous support of the Historic Happy Hour series.

Over the final two days of our field school at , the team worked hard to finish the remaining objectives for this first phase of 2026 waterfront investigations.

Students finished the hydroprobe survey at Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 01. Using a combination of push probe transects followed by hydroprobe transects with a two-meter steel pipe, they were able to distinguish between dense clay deposits and buried wooden wreckage. Once the system was refined, the team surveyed a 13-by-16-meter area along the steel cable baseline adjacent to the imprint of intact wreckage that was recovered last year.

Additional teams documented newly identified wooden wharf features that may be associated with the Civil War-era Fort Anderson landing, along with recently exposed sections of Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 02. Changing sediment conditions and wave energy, however, covered portions of Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 04 before the site could be fully documented during this project.

Keep following along as the team now preps for our return to Greenville where we will begin processing and analyzing the data collected from Brunswick Town’s historic waterfront!

The field school team working at continues subsurface testing at Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 01.

Using both the hydroprobe and traditional push probes, students have completed several transects across the established grid system in search of buried shipwreck remains. The data collected during this phase of investigations will inform planned excavations later in this summer.

Each day in the field brings new discoveries and hands-on experience as students continue uncovering history beneath the waters of the Cape Fear River. Follow along as field school goes into the final few days at this incredible historic site!

The other summer field school team continues investigations at , where students are documenting shipwrecks and historic wharves along the southern waterfront.

Over the last two days, the team has focused on Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 01. Students established transects across the steel cable baseline and used the hydroprobe to push through thick clay deposits in search of buried timbers.

Working in rotating teams of scuba divers, snorkelers and data loggers, students coordinated underwater probing, transect recording and mapping of positive and negative timber locations. Snorkelers assisted from the surface by managing hoses and supporting the dive teams, while the data crew ensured each discovery was carefully documented.

Using the hydroprobe is demanding work, but the team has already completed three survey sections successfully and is looking forward to continuing investigations throughout the remainder of the project.

The Neuse River fieldschool team moved to site 4 in Duck Creek, on the opposite side of the river facing toward New Bern city. The complex shallow submerged site comprised barnacle- covered iron and wood components possibly associated with a large barge or ferry. Students dispersed in teams along the perimeters of the wreckage to gather geospatial and structural data. Historical artwork, particularly one image depicting a steam vessel in the general area, was of interest to our questions about the possible identity of the site.

The first fieldschool portion in the Neuse River site 1 (Grantham's wreck) has ended. We hope to continue the project with tantalizing clues gleaned from historic records and further analysis of the archaeological data. Many thanks to all who contributed: Dr. Nathan Richards and the advanced maritime archaeology technology class for providing a sonar image of the wreck, plus graduate students Ethan Whiten and Michael Lee who compiled reports and assisted with the preparatory fieldwork for the fieldschool. We are especially grateful to Dr. Charles Marsden Crawford and his family for giving our ECU team shoreside access from his property to the shipwreck site. We will miss the blue crabs, friendly rays and the occasional dolphin!

Scanning the Shipwreck Puzzle Pieces 🧩🔍

Last week, following the workshop on 3D photogrammetry, Dr. Kotaro Yamafune () joined Dr. Jason Raupp in recording the structural timbers from Upper Midnight Channel Shipwreck 01 using our program’s new Artec 3D Leo 3D laser scanner.

Drawing on his expertise in three-dimensional data collection, Dr. Yamafune scanned all shipwreck timbers recovered last year from the waterfront at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site to create fully scaled digital replicas. Like pieceing together a puzzle, these virtual timbers will be used by researchers who examine fastener patterns and curvature on the timbers to reconstruct the wreck as it once rested on the riverbed before its displacement.

Many thanks to Dr. Yamafune as well as the Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project conservation team (and interns) for sharing their knowledge and time in this process!

Follow along for updates as this exciting phase of research continues over the next year.

Yesterday, the summer field school team continued documenting key maritime features along Brunswick Town’s southern waterfront.

The field school group split into two teams to maximize data collection. Team 1 focused on mapping the extent of Wharf 04 using offset/baseline measurements, while also working with the RTK to get detailed spatial information.

Team 2 concentrated on locating Wreck 04. Probe returns were flagged to identify structural elements before mapping began. Investigations revealed that the site has been impacted by the ongoing erosion and other environmental forces such like strong currents, which have significantly affected the preservation of the wreck.

Due to inclement weather, fieldwork concluded early. The team then transitioned to a hydro-probe training session at the Underwater Archaeology Branch. This is in preparation for upcoming work to determine the extent and depth of Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 01.

Continue to follow along as work develops on Brunswick Town’s southern waterfront!

Yesterday, the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site field school began work on Wharf 4, the focus of Kel Welton’s thesis research.

Students established a new baseline for a follow-up survey to assess changes to the wharf after significant erosion over the past two years. A second team mapped Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 04 located south of Wharf 4. Since most of that wreck is buried, the second team also probed for timbers beneath the mud to create reference points for continued investigations tomorrow.

The field school also installed a steel cable baseline over the Upper Midnight Channel Wreck 01 near Wharf 4 in anticipation of a hydroprobe survey for more of the wreckage from the vessel recovered last year that might be still buried in the mud. Students are looking forward to the next several days of recording and investigating both the wharf and adjacent shipwreck remains.

Honorable mention goes to our staff archaeologist who continues to crush the daily morning pull-up competition.

Follow along as field school continues uncovering the history beneath the waters of Brunswick Town.