Divers find ancient treasure of the Spanish fleet of 1715

• The Spanish Treasure Fleet sank off the coast of Florida in 1715, carrying riches destined for Europe.
• Over 300 years later, treasure hunters still search the ships for fantastic finds.
• The most recent discovery comes from a group of divers from Florida who recovered over 200 silver piston coins.

A fleet of Spanish ships returning from the New World was nicknamed the “Treasure Fleet” for good reason. The group of ships that sank in a hurricane in 1715 and are now known as the “Treasure Fleet 1715” continue to yield amazing finds – the most recent being over 200 silver coins.

“You don’t expect that,” said Grant Gitschlag, captain of the boat that took the divers to the exclusive location off Florida’s east coast, Fox“You always hope for it, but you never expect it.” Another diver called the discovery “almost numbing.”

One reason for the low expectations is that the wreck of the Treasure Fleet of 1715 is well known. The 12 ships traveling from Cuba to Spain were caught in a hurricane within days of the voyage, resulting in the tragic sinking of 11 of the ships and the deaths of nearly 900 people.

It was from the middle of the 16th century.^th Century to the middle of the 18th century.^th Century, when armed fleets carried treasure from the New World to Spain, according to the National Park Service. The ships were often loaded with silver, gold, gems, tobacco, spices and indigo. But while the extra security was probably useful in the face of pirates and privateers from rival European countries, armed guards can’t do much against hurricanes.

A treasure estimated to be worth 14 million pesos was thrown into the sea. Some of it was immediately washed ashore, and much of it was recovered over the next few weeks as more and more cargo escaped from wrecks and washed toward the Florida coast.

The shipwrecks were soon forgotten, but the coins never were. Spanish coins continued to wash up on beaches in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to a dive that revealed the wreck’s location and an exclusive salvage contract. For years, this contract led many treasure hunters to the wrecks in the hope of grabbing a piece of the treasure once destined for Spain.

The fact that such a catch was found shows that the Treasure Fleet of 1715 was full of loot – and perhaps still is. “To catch such a quantity within a few days,” said Gitschlag, “is a very exciting start.”

The participants of the modern discovery were delighted. “This is the find,” says Corinne Lea, a treasure hunter Fox“It’s about the discovery. I love the story of being the first person in 309 years to find something that was once lost in a tragedy.”