Only July 24th, 1715 a fleet of eleven Spanish Galleons and one French ship, the Griffon, heavily loaded with gold and silver from the New World, set sail from Havana, Cuba bound for Spain. All of the Spanish vessels perished in storm off the east coast of Florida near present day Sebastian. Seven hundred lives and over 14,000,000 pesos worth of treasure went down.
Another fleet of ships met a similar fate in 1622. Among the sunken ships were the Atocha and Santa Margarita, carrying a cargo of more than 40 tons of gold, silver, and copper bullion. On July 20th, 1985 following a 16 year search, a salvage team lead by Mel Fisher, found and recovered the Motherlode of the Atocha after nearly 370 years of exile on the ocean floor. This incredible feat established the greatest discovery in treasure salvaging history, both in archaeological and commercial terms. During the search for the Atocha, Fisher and his crew also discovered and raised treasure from the sister ship of the Atocha, the Santa Margarita, and an English merchant slave ship, the Henrietta Marie.
Mel Fisher's Treasures Museum and Store - Sebastian, Florida
1322 US Highway 1
Sebastian, FL
32958
(772) 589-9875
