Public lecture to reveal the search for America’s earliest Spanish shipwreck in Georgetown
July 1, 2026
History and archaeology enthusiasts are invited to take a deep dive into the Lowcountry’s hidden past. On Thursday, August 13, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, the Winyah Auditorium will host a captivating public lecture titled “Search for a Spanish Shipwreck: Celebrating 500 Years of South Carolina History.”
Co-sponsored by the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) Archaeological Research Trust and the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, this free event commemorates the upcoming 500th anniversary of the historic 1526 Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón expedition—one of the earliest European colonization attempts in what would become the United States. 
The lecture will center on the high-stakes, ongoing underwater archaeological investigations in Winyah Bay and the Santee Delta as researchers hunt for the Capitana, the long-lost flagship of Ayllón’s fleet.
Dr. Chester DePratter will introduce the program and set the historical stage for the 1526 expedition. A Research Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, Dr. DePratter is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost scholars of 16th-century Southeastern archaeology and Spanish exploration.
Then, featured speaker James Spirek will share firsthand insights into the high-stakes, ongoing underwater archaeological investigations in Winyah Bay and the Santee Delta. As the South Carolina State Underwater Archaeologist, Spirek will discuss the marine remote sensing, aerial surveys, archival research, and underwater exploration being used to locate the Capitana—the long-lost flagship of Ayllón’s fleet that, if discovered, could be the oldest known European shipwreck in the continental United States.
Admission for the event is free, but attendees are requested to pre-register online via the official Registration Form.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn how modern technology is unearthing secrets from half a millennium ago and shaping our understanding of South Carolina’s rich maritime heritage.
