ASTORIA, Ore. — Researchers believe they may have identified pieces that belonged to a ship that went missing in 1693 off the Oregon coast.
According to The Astorian, a local fisherman found pieces of the long-lost ship in 2019, but it wasn't until recently that samples of what he found were tested and dated.
Experts believe the pieces may have come from the wreck of the Spanish galleon Santo Cristo de Burgos, which was the inspiration behind the cult classic 1980s movie "The Goonies."
In the movie, a group of kids set off with a map to find a pirate's long-lost treasure, which they eventually find hidden on an ancient shipwreck in a secret underwater cave near Astoria.
Fox affiliate KPTV reported that the ship was carrying silk and beeswax from the Philippines to Mexico when it disappeared.
At first, experts were skeptical about the fisherman's find, but the news outlet reported that crews searched last week and found wreckage near a cave along the Manzanita coast.
Archaeologists believe that due to the size and type of wood they found, they are pretty sure it belongs to the ship, KPTV reported.
The newspaper reported that the discovery might help reveal how the ship came apart.
