Dr. John R Bratten

Emanuel Point Ill is a Spanish shipwreck from the 1559 colonization fleet of Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano. It is located off Emanuel Point along Pensacola Bay. Even though there is a large volume of academic literature related to radiocarbon dating archaeological wood, literature on the potential effects that saltwater and waterlogging altering dating accuracy is scarce to nonexistent. The Emanuel Point shipwrecks have presented a wonderful opportunity to gauge the effects that nearly 500 years of saltwater immersion may have on radiocarbon dating.

The Emanuel Point II shipwreck is one of three shipwrecks found that are believed to have once been part of the Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano settlement and expedition that sank during a violent hurricane in 1559. This research will dive into the analysis of radiocarbon dating that will be conducted on wood samples taken from the hull of the Emanuel Point II shipwreck. The radiocarbon results from E.P. II will be compared to radiocarbon dates from other wrecks recognized as part of the Luna fleet, and in turn a comprehensive dating background will be formed. Additionally, the results of the wood samples themselves will also be aiding in further calibrating radiocarbon dating itself for future archaeological endeavors.

The Emanuel Point I shipwreck sank with five other ships in the Pensacola Bay from a hurricane in 1559. These ships were part of Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano's Spanish colonization fleet. Luna led an expedition that resulted in the settlement of Pensacola which lasted from 1559 to 1591. It is the earliest known multi-year European colony in the United States, predating the Spanish colony of St. Augustine by six years and the English colony at Jamestown by forty-eight years. The wreck was discovered in 1992 by the state of Florida and excavated by UWF field school students until 1998.