Introducing: Archeologist Frederick Hanselmann

Project Director Fritz Hanselmann (Photo Credit: Jonathan Kingston)

I would like to welcome Mr. Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann to my website.

Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann is the Research Faculty and Chief Underwater Archaeologist and Dive Training Officer with the River Systems Institute and the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University. I was offered a chance to interview Mr. Fritz Hanselmann via telephone a few short weeks ago to discuss his search for the most famous Privateer in history, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan (aka Captain Morgan). Circumstance conspired against me such that a telephone interview was not possible, however, I was graciously allowed to conduct my interview via email.

Most people associate Captain Morgan with the iconic logo on the rum bottle; but Hanselmann’s team of U.S. archaeologists, with the help of the Captain Morgan brand, are on a mission to find the fleet of ships the iconic real-life privateer lost in the Caribbean in 1671. The search began in earnest in September 2010, when the team discovered six iron cannons which might have possibly belonged to Sir Admiral Henry Morgan during their archaeological survey mouth of the Río Chagres off the coast of Panama. The team of archeologists continued their work this past summer with the the discovery of a 17th century wooden shipwreck, which is potentially one of the five ships Captain Morgan lost at the mouth of the river. Among the five ships lost was Admiral Sir Henry Morgan’s flagship “Satisfaction”.

In the interview we discuss underwater diving and archeology learning how these seemingly disparate fields are coming together in the search for Captain Morgan’s lost fleet. We examine the evidence recovered in an effort to verify whether the artifacts found to date can really be assigned the Privateer of legend. Mr. Hanselmann elaborates on his most exciting finds to date, and even theorizes on the possibility of finding a stash of rum at the bottom of the sea.

You may read the full interview here:

Seeking Captain Morgan: An Interview with Archeologist Frederick Hanselmann

Please enjoy the Interview!