An international archaeological team has found several shipwreck remains and evidence of a possible 19th-century survivor camp on Isla de los Estados, off Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina. The researchers say the finds could be connected to the 1873 wreck of the Espora, although they have not yet identified the vessels with certainty.
The study, led by Nicolás C. Ciarlo of the University of Cádiz and published in Antiquity, examines sites in Ensenada Lacroix. At a location near a stream and more than 12 metres above sea level, the team found four-hole ceramic buttons, glass beads, a bottle and pieces of corrugated galvanized metal. Other objects included a prism used to bring light into ship interiors and part of a rudder hinge.
The location, designated BF008, lies about 150 metres from each of two major ship structures. Wooden remains have been recorded in three areas: BF010 includes the lower part of a vessel and an iron chain; BF005 preserves components up to deck level; and BF004 is a fragment in the northern part of the site. Researchers have not established whether the structures came from one ship or several. Differences in construction, size and wood origin will need further study.
The team carried out fieldwork in January 2026, travelling aboard the sailing vessels Pampa Mía and Galileo as part of the Aquí hay dragones expedition, with support from the Argentine Navy. Researchers photographed and measured the remains, made drawings, used a drone to map the sites and took small samples for future analysis.
Historical accounts differ over what happened to the Espora after it was wrecked, complicating the identification. Some accounts say its crew reused much of the vessel to build another boat. If so, the substantial remains at BF005 may be difficult to reconcile with the ship’s documented dismantling. The researchers have also found no remains of the temporary shipyard mentioned in historical accounts.
The Espora, formerly named Nancy, was a 157-ton brigantine schooner built in Maryland, United States. It belonged to Argentine navigator Luis Piedra Buena, who had received a concession for the island in the early 1870s. The ship reportedly sank during a campaign to obtain penguin oil. Piedra Buena and his crew then built a smaller vessel, the Luisito, and reached Punta Arenas, Chile. Historical accounts place the wreck in Franklin Bay, but its exact location has not been confirmed.
Sources: elDiario.es.