Sunken Treasure: Uncovering the Riches of the 1715 Spanish Fleet

A Tempest's Toll, A Timeless Allure

In the heart of the Age of Sail, when mighty empires stretched their dominion across vast, churning oceans, the Spanish treasure fleets were the lifeblood of a nation. These formidable flotillas, laden with the unimaginable wealth of the New World, braved perilous journeys to fill the coffers of the Spanish Crown. But the sea, a fickle and often cruel mistress, did not always yield its bounty. In the pre-dawn darkness of July 31, 1715, a ferocious hurricane of apocalyptic force descended upon one such fleet off the coast of what is now Florida, swallowing eleven of its twelve ships and scattering a king's ransom across the ocean floor. This is the story of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet, a catastrophe of epic proportions that has since birthed a legacy of loss, piracy, and the relentless, centuries-long pursuit of sunken treasure.

The tale of the 1715 fleet is more than a mere accounting of gold and silver; it is a human drama of ambition, tragedy, and an enduring obsession with the riches that lie beneath the waves. From the desperate struggles of the shipwrecked sailors on a desolate shore to the swashbuckling opportunism of pirates and the dogged determination of modern-day treasure hunters, the legacy of the 1715 fleet is a rich tapestry woven with threads of history, adventure, and the unyielding allure of lost fortunes.

The Empire's Gamble: A Fleet of Unprecedented Wealth

The early 18th century was a precarious time for the once-mighty Spanish Empire. The costly War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) had bled the nation's treasury dry. King Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, desperately needed to replenish his coffers to solidify his reign and project Spanish power. For years, the regular convoys of treasure ships from the Americas had been disrupted by the conflict, causing a bottleneck of accumulated riches in the colonial ports. With the signing of the Peace of Utrecht, the sea lanes were once again open, and the king gave the urgent order to bring home the long-awaited treasure.

In the summer of 1715, a truly magnificent armada assembled in Havana, Cuba. It was a combination of two fleets: the "Nueva España Fleet" (or Flota de Nueva España), commanded by Captain-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, which had sailed from Veracruz, Mexico, and the "Tierra Firme Fleet" (Escuadrón de Tierra Firme), under the command of Don Antonio de Echeverz y Zubiza, which had arrived from Cartagena. For the first time in years, the combined wealth of the South American and Mexican trade routes, representing the accumulated profits of several years, was gathered in one place.

The cargo was staggering, a testament to the vastness of Spain's colonial empire. The holds of the ships were bursting with gold and silver coins, bullion, and precious gemstones. The manifests listed thousands of chests filled with silver "pieces of eight" (reales), gold doubloons (escudos), and ingots of both precious metals. One ship alone, the Nuestra Señora de la Regla, carried over 2.5 million pesos in silver coins and bars distributed among 1,300 chests, along with 23 chests of worked silver and another chest brimming with gold bars, coins, and pearls. Beyond the official registers, it was common practice for sailors and officials to smuggle their own private fortunes, meaning the true value of the cargo was likely much higher.

But the treasure was not limited to precious metals. The fleet also carried a dazzling array of exotic goods destined for the eager markets of Europe. There were chests of fine Chinese porcelain, transported across the Pacific by the Manila Galleons and then overland through Mexico. The cargo also included vanilla, chocolate, sassafras, incense, indigo, and vast quantities of uncured cowhides. Aboard the ships were also personal effects, jewelry, and religious artifacts, each with its own story.

The fleet consisted of eleven Spanish vessels and one French ship, the Le Grifon, which was sailing under Spanish escort. The Spanish ships were a mix of heavily armed galleons, merchant vessels known as naos, and smaller support ships called pataches. The most formidable were the flagships, the capitanas, of each fleet, which were essentially floating fortresses designed to protect the convoy. Ubilla, as the senior commander, led the fleet from his flagship, while Echeverz brought up the rear. Despite the immense value of their cargo and the long-awaited journey home, a sense of unease settled over the fleet as they prepared to depart. They were sailing at the height of the Atlantic hurricane season, a gamble that would have devastating consequences.

A Date with Destiny: The Hurricane of 1715

On July 24, 1715, the combined fleet finally set sail from Havana, charting a course along the Florida coast to catch the Gulf Stream, the powerful current that would slingshot them across the Atlantic towards Spain. For the first few days, the voyage was deceptively calm. But as the ships sailed north, the weather began to turn. The sea began to swell, and an eerie silence fell as the sea birds that usually flocked around the ships disappeared.

By July 29th, the fleet was becalmed, the ships rolling uncomfortably in the heavy, silent swell. The following day, the sky grew dark, and the wind began to pick up from the northeast, growing in intensity with each passing hour. The ships, heavily laden and difficult to maneuver, struggled against the rising seas and ferocious winds. Soon, the hurricane was upon them in all its terrifying fury.

A survivor later recounted the horror of that night: "The seas became very giant in size, the wind continued blowing us toward shore, pushing us into shallow water. It soon happened that we were unable to use any sail at all…and we were at the mercy of the wind and water, always driven closer to shore." The storm was so violent that the sea spray felt like arrows, injuring those it struck. The deafening roar of the wind was soon joined by an even more terrifying sound: the thunder of waves crashing against the unseen reefs that lined the Florida coast.

In the early morning hours of July 31st, the fleet met its doom. The ships were driven relentlessly towards the shore and, one by one, were smashed to pieces. Ubilla's flagship was among the first to be destroyed, its hull ripped open by the reefs, and the ship disintegrating in the massive waves. Ubilla himself was among the more than 200 of his crew who were washed overboard and pounded to death against the rocks. Echeverz's war galleon also broke apart, and he and 124 of his crew were lost to the sea.

The destruction was absolute. The lighter ships capsized and sank in the surf, while others were cast bodily onto the shore. Of the eleven Spanish ships in the convoy, none survived the storm's wrath. The only vessel to escape was the French frigate Le Grifon. Its captain, unfamiliar with the treacherous Florida coastline, had wisely chosen to sail further out to sea, away from the deadly reefs, and safely returned to Europe, unaware of the catastrophe that had befallen the rest of the fleet.

The Desolate Shore: Survival and Salvage

As the sun rose on the morning of July 31st, it revealed a scene of utter devastation. The hurricane had passed, leaving behind a deathly calm. For nearly 30 miles along the desolate, uninhabited coast, the beaches were littered with the wreckage of the once-mighty fleet and the bodies of the drowned. Over 1,000 sailors and passengers had perished in the storm, while the roughly 1,500 survivors now found themselves stranded in a hostile and unfamiliar land.

The survivors, scattered in small groups along the coast, faced a new set of challenges: starvation, dehydration, and the threat of attack from local Native American tribes. They built crude shelters from the debris that washed ashore and began the grim task of burying their dead. The highest-ranking surviving officer, Admiral Don Francisco Salmón, took command and began to organize the survivors. Recognizing the urgency of their situation, he ordered a damaged lifeboat to be repaired. On August 6th, a small crew of 19 men, led by Ubilla's pilot, Nicolas de India, set off for Cuba to bring back word of the disaster and a plea for help. After a grueling eleven-day journey, they reached Havana, and the rescue effort was finally underway.

Relief ships from Havana, laden with food, supplies, and salvage equipment, arrived at the site of the wrecks by the end of August. The Spanish immediately began the arduous process of salvaging the immense treasure. A main salvage camp was established at a site known as Palmar de Ays, near present-day Sebastian, Florida. For the next four years, Spanish salvors toiled in the coastal waters, braving sharks, barracudas, and the ever-present threat of pirate attacks.

Using the technology of the time, which primarily consisted of free-diving and the use of diving bells, the Spanish were remarkably successful in their salvage efforts. They recovered a significant portion of the registered treasure, with some estimates suggesting they brought up as much as 80% of the silver and gold. By early September, the success of the salvage was so great that Admiral Salmón requested 25 soldiers to be sent from St. Augustine to guard the recovered riches. The salvaged treasure was stored at the main camp, awaiting transport back to Havana. It was this concentration of wealth that would soon attract the attention of the Caribbean's most notorious predators.

The Pirates' Plunder: Jennings and Vane

News of the sunken treasure fleet spread like wildfire throughout the Caribbean, reaching the ears of the pirates and privateers who prowled the shipping lanes. For them, the disaster was a golden opportunity. The lightly guarded Spanish salvage camp, overflowing with salvaged gold and silver, was an irresistible target.

Among the first to act was Henry Jennings, an English privateer who had operated out of Jamaica during the War of the Spanish Succession. With the war over, Jennings, like many other privateers, had turned to piracy. In early 1716, with a commission from the governor of Jamaica, Jennings set sail for the Florida coast with three vessels and a force of around 300 men, including another soon-to-be-infamous pirate, Charles Vane.

Jennings and his crew descended upon the Spanish salvage camp, overwhelming the small contingent of soldiers with their superior numbers. Admiral Salmón had no choice but to surrender the remaining treasure that had been so painstakingly recovered from the sea. Jennings and his pirates made off with a staggering haul of gold and silver, estimated to be worth around £87,500. This audacious raid marked Jennings' first official act of piracy and cemented his reputation as one of the most successful pirates of his time. He and his crew sailed to the pirate haven of Nassau to divide their spoils, their arrival causing a sensation and inspiring other pirates to try their luck along the Florida coast.

Charles Vane, who had served under Jennings during the raid, would go on to become a notorious pirate captain in his own right, known for his cruelty and his defiance of authority. He and Jennings had obtained the exact location of the Spanish salvage camp by capturing a Spanish mail ship and interrogating its captain. Vane's brutal tactics and his disdain for the pirate code eventually led to his downfall, but his involvement in the plunder of the 1715 fleet treasure is a testament to the lawlessness and opportunism that defined the Golden Age of Piracy.

The Long Slumber: A Forgotten Bounty

After the initial flurry of salvage activity and the brazen raids by pirates, the story of the 1715 fleet began to fade into memory. The Spanish, having recovered a substantial portion of the treasure, eventually abandoned their salvage operations in 1719. The remaining wrecks, battered and broken, were gradually covered by the shifting sands of the ocean floor, their locations lost to time. For over two centuries, the remnants of the once-magnificent fleet and its remaining treasure lay undisturbed, the stuff of local legends and whispered rumors.

It wasn't until the mid-20th century that the lost fleet would be rediscovered, thanks to the curiosity and perseverance of a man named Kip Wagner. A building contractor by trade, Wagner moved to the Wabasso area of Florida in the 1940s, a stretch of coastline that would later become known as the "Treasure Coast." A friend told him that old Spanish coins would sometimes wash up on the beach after storms. Intrigued, Wagner began to comb the beaches with a metal detector, and soon he was finding his own blackened, worn silver coins.

Wagner became obsessed with the story of the lost treasure fleet. He teamed up with a local physician, Dr. Kip Kelso, who was a knowledgeable amateur historian of Spanish colonial history. Together, they delved into historical archives, poring over old maps and Spanish shipping records. Their research led them to a crucial discovery: a 1775 map by Bernard Romans that marked the location of the 1715 shipwreck. Armed with this new information, Wagner and his team began a systematic search of the waters off the Florida coast.

The Modern-Day Argonauts: Wagner, Fisher, and the Real Eight

In the early 1960s, Kip Wagner and a group of fellow treasure enthusiasts formed the Real Eight Company, named after the iconic Spanish "pieces of eight" coins they were finding. The group, which included engineers and other professionals, brought a new level of organization and scientific methodology to treasure hunting. They obtained a salvage lease from the state of Florida, which at the time entitled the state to 25% of any treasure found.

Their efforts were soon rewarded. In 1961, Wagner and his team located their first wreck site, which they dubbed the "Cabin Wreck." The discoveries that followed were sensational. They brought up thousands of gold and silver coins, silver bars, priceless Chinese porcelain, and a magnificent gold necklace that was appraised at $50,000. Wagner's book, "Pieces of Eight," published in 1966, chronicled their incredible finds and brought the story of the 1715 fleet to a new generation.

The success of the Real Eight Company attracted the attention of another legendary treasure hunter: Mel Fisher. At the time, Fisher was a well-known diver and adventurer with a flair for publicity. In 1963, he joined forces with the Real Eight Company, bringing his own team of professional divers and his infectious optimism, embodied in his famous motto, "Today's the Day!"

The partnership proved to be incredibly fruitful. In 1964, Fisher's crew, using a prop-wash deflector they called a "mailbox" to clear sand from the ocean floor, uncovered a "carpet of gold" at the Douglass Beach wreck site, finding over 1,000 gold coins. The combined efforts of the Real Eight Company and Mel Fisher's team brought in millions of dollars' worth of treasure from the 1715 fleet.

A New Era of Discovery: Queens Jewels and the Ongoing Hunt

In the years that followed, Mel Fisher would go on to achieve worldwide fame with his discovery of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, another Spanish treasure galleon that sank in 1622. His company, Mel Fisher's Treasures, eventually sold the salvage rights to the 1715 fleet to 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, LLC, a company founded by Brent Brisben and his father.

Brisben and his team have continued the legacy of Wagner and Fisher, using modern technology and a deep understanding of the historical records to uncover more of the fleet's lost riches. Their discoveries have been nothing short of spectacular. On the 300th anniversary of the sinking, July 31, 2015, Brisben's crew found 350 gold coins worth an estimated $4.5 million, including nine incredibly rare "Royal" coins that were specially minted for King Philip V. Brisben described the find as "magical" and "surreal."

The hunt for the treasure of the 1715 fleet is far from over. Brisben estimates that there is still some $400 million worth of treasure waiting to be discovered. The wrecks are spread out over a wide area, and much of the treasure is buried under deep layers of sand, making it a painstaking and often frustrating endeavor. As Brisben himself has said, it's like "constantly searching for a needle in a haystack." But for the dedicated men and women who continue to search for the lost fleet, the allure of the treasure, both in its monetary value and its historical significance, is a powerful motivator.

The Law of the Sea: Treasure, Ethics, and Controversy

The salvage of sunken treasure is a complex and often contentious issue, fraught with legal and ethical considerations. The story of the 1715 fleet is intertwined with the evolution of shipwreck salvage law in the United States.

In the early days of modern salvage, the law was relatively straightforward. Treasure hunters like Kip Wagner operated under leases from the state of Florida, with the state receiving a percentage of the finds. However, a legal battle between Mel Fisher and the state of Florida over the treasure of the Atocha changed everything. Fisher challenged the state's claim to the treasure in federal admiralty court and won, establishing the principle of "finders, keepers" for historic shipwrecks.

In response to this and other cases, the U.S. Congress passed the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987. This law granted states title to abandoned shipwrecks in their territorial waters, giving them the authority to manage these sites for their historical and cultural value. Today, salvage operations on the 1715 fleet are carried out under permits issued by the state of Florida, with the state having the right to claim up to 20% of the artifacts for museum collections.

The world of treasure hunting has also seen its share of controversy. In a recent case involving the 1715 fleet, a subcontractor for Queens Jewels, the Schmitt family, was accused of stealing 50 gold coins from a 2015 find. An investigation led to the recovery of 37 of the stolen coins, some of which had been sold at auction and others even placed back on the seafloor in an attempt to deceive investors. This case highlights the darker side of the treasure trade and the ongoing challenges of protecting our shared maritime heritage.

A Tangible Link to the Past: The Enduring Legacy of the 1715 Fleet

The treasures recovered from the 1715 fleet are more than just gold and silver. They are tangible links to a bygone era, artifacts that tell the story of a vast global empire, the perils of maritime travel, and the human cost of ambition. Each coin, each piece of jewelry, each fragment of porcelain offers a glimpse into the lives of the people who sailed on the ill-fated fleet.

For the treasure hunters who dedicate their lives to searching for these lost riches, the thrill of discovery is not just about the monetary reward. It is about connecting with history in a deeply personal way. As Brent Brisben has said, finding treasure is a "magical" experience that changes your life. It is the culmination of years of research, hard work, and an unwavering belief that "Today's the Day."

The story of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet is a timeless tale of fortune and tragedy, of loss and rediscovery. It is a story that continues to unfold with each new discovery, as modern-day explorers continue to sift through the sands of time, searching for the last vestiges of a sunken empire. The treasures of the 1715 fleet, once lost to the fury of a hurricane, have been reborn as symbols of our enduring fascination with the past and our relentless quest to uncover its secrets. And as long as there is still treasure to be found, the allure of the 1715 fleet will continue to captivate the imagination and inspire the next generation of adventurers to seek their fortunes beneath the waves.