Back in the late 1600s, ships like the San Miguel sailed between Spain and other areas of the world to bring news and information back home to the Royal Court. This transfer of information essentially fueled the Empire. By 1712, Spain had a desperate need for funds following the War of Succession. So the Spanish assembled one of the richest treasure fleets by 1715 to deliver gold, silver, jewels, pearls, and other riches back home to Spain.
The fleet consisted of about a dozen ships including the San Miguel, which were loaded at Cartagena, Vera Cruz, Nombre de Dios, and Portobello. The sheer size of the fleet was meant to deter pirates and privateers from stealing the treasure carried by the ships. As another act of defense, the fleet set sail from Havana right before the hurricane season. This unfortunate mistake led to the destruction of the fleet and thousands of dead sailors just seven days after their departure. Spanish search parties were able to salvage roughly half of the treasure over the next several years, despite pirates getting in their way.
Today, seven of the fleet’s ships have been found at the ocean’s bottom, largely thanks to marine treasure hunter, Kip Wagner. However, only a small portion of the treasure was recovered. It’s believed that the bulk of the treasure was carried by the San Miguel, a Spanish carrack, because the ship’s smaller size lent well to outrunning danger. But the San Miguel has never been found. It’s likely that the ship separated from the rest of the fleet just before the storm struck in an effort to ensure the treasure was brought home to Spain, but the ship never made it.
If the San Miguel didn’t go down with the rest of the fleet in 1715, it could have made it up to Amelia Island or it could have crashed to the south. Some old shipwrecked remnants have been found near the southern end of Amelia Island, including cannons, gold coins, and a jeweler’s furnace that turned up in a shrimper’s net in 1993. These items provide evidence that a Spanish ship was at least in the area at some point in the past. But the San Miguel remains one of the richest treasure ships yet to be found, holding a cargo that’s estimated to be worth $2 billion today.
The San Miguel treasure has captured the hearts of several treasure hunters, though many hurdles remain in the way of a massive marine excavation What would you do if you were able to uncover a lost treasure?
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