New analysis links timbers to the legendary Pilgrim-era boat Sparrow-Hawk — the oldest known shipwreck of Colonial America

In 1626, a ship foundered in stormy seas and wrecked on Cape Cod, where the passengers were aided by the local Indigenous population and the Pilgrims in nearby Plymouth.  

Now the most in-depth scientific analysis of timbers found more than 150 years ago has provided the best evidence yet that they belonged to the ill-fated vessel known as the Sparrow-Hawk.

The results of an international, multiyear study on the remains of the ship were published Friday in the "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports."