28 gun salute to obx oldest shipwreck

Has the mystery of the Corolla shipwreck that was revealed by a 2008 storm been solved? The Virginian Pilot’s Jeff Hampton tells the fascinating story of what may be the oldest shipwreck to ever wash ashore on the Outer Banks.

Shipwreck as it appeared after a 2008 storm.
Shipwreck as it appeared after a 2008 storm.

“The oldest shipwreck ever found along the North Carolina coast could be a 28-gun British naval vessel.

While there is no way to prove it, evidence indicates the wreck discovered seven years ago in the Corolla surf could be the HMS John, which foundered off the coast in 1652.

The identity of the wreck has been a mystery since it washed up in 2008. But now, after researching European shipbuilding techniques of the 1600s and wrecks near North Carolina for two years, maritime archaeologist Dan Brown thinks he’s figured it out.”

[box type=”bio”] Wow! What an amazing tale is told about an ancient shipwreck in the Virginian Pilot.[/box]