Before the Spanish arrived, Florida was already home to many Native American tribes including the Ais (or Ays), Apalachee, Seminole, Timucua and others. There is evidence to support that survivors of the 1715 Fleet disaster interacted with the Ais whose territory included coastal areas and islands from approximately Cape Canaveral to the Indian River. It
A British captain ambushes a Spanish Treasure Fleet during the War of Spanish Succession.
Recently, while searching through some archival material that we secured a number of years ago, I came across an interesting article from September, 1966. It appeared in the official publication of the Florida Secretary of State called In The Capital and was written by then Secretary of State, Tom Adams. “Are We Selling History For
The crew of the salvage vessel “Half Reale” captained by Jon Wilson, find an ornate gold box containing a seven-emerald gold cross, a large woven gold chain and two gold-and-emerald rings. Cabin Wreck, near Sebastian, Florida.
For June’s Treasure of the Month we are featuring this beautiful eight escudos gold coin (or “cob ”) from the Spanish colonial mint of Lima, Peru. Dated 1712, it is not particularly a rare date for coins of this mint and denomination found on 1715 Fleet wreck sites. In fact, in its collection, the State
Mel Fisher finds famous “carpet of gold”…….1,033 gold coins discovered at the Douglass Beach Wreck site, south of Fort Pierce, Florida.
Much has been exposed regarding the events and subsequent treasures located resulting from the hurricane destruction of the 1715 Fleet. There was also an enormous loss of lives by the crew and passengers aboard the ill-fated vessels. The general tally places the number of casualties at a little over 1,000. This article is a brief
Newspapers report that famed astronaut physician, Dr, Gordon Benson, has joined treasure hunters at Vero Beach. The good doctor’s hobby is balloons. He will aid treasure divers by sitting in a balloon viewing the ocean floor from a height of 200-250 feet. It is hoped that from this vantage point he will be able to
Last February I was contacted by Donna Polk of Vero Beach, Florida and asked to deliver a presentation (via Zoom) on the history of the 1715 Fleet. Donna is the Speaker Coordinator of Head, Hearts and Hands, a 501(c) (3) foundation established in 2013 by golf and residential members of the Indian River Club. HHH
To wrap up this year’s issues, I thought it would be appropriate to pose two of the 2016 newsmakers as our Cover Coin(s) this time. From the State of Florida’s Collection of treasure coins recovered from the 1715 Plate Fleet come these two fully-dated pieces, which are displayed on the 1715 Fleet Society web site
Articles of Incorporation are filed by the Real Eight Company.
“Pirates, Shipwrecks, Conquests, and Their Lasting Legacy” is the subject of the latest edition of the National Geographic Magazine. Written by Dr. Jamie L. H. Goodall, the article features the history of piracy starting with its origins in the 14th century B.C. to modern times. It is a fascinating study that examines piracy from different
The Real Eight Company opens its first museum, “The Gallery of Spanish Treasure”, in Satellite Beach, Florida.
In honor of our website’s 10th Anniversary, we thought it would fitting to republish our very first Treasure of the Month from May 1, 2011. We hope you enjoy it. You can access all of our subsequent treasures by clicking on Treasures of the Month on our Home Page. Our first-ever featured treasure is this
Our Treasure of the Month for May, 2021 is special as it marks the 10th anniversary of the posting of our first Treasure of the Month in May, 2011. Our featured treasure for this month was recovered during the 2019 and 2020 dive seasons by the crew of the Mighty Mo captained by veteran diver
The 1715 Fleet Society is pleased to announce the 10th Anniversary of our website. First launched on May 1, 2011, our site has grown from a few dozen page views per month in May, 2011 to over 6,000 page views per month in March, 2021. Thanks to our many dedicated supporters and contributors, our site
My wife, June, and I owned the Cabin Wreck for over 30 years from June, 1990 to November, 2020. During those years we were super fortunate to experience a number of outstanding treasure finds that we were either part of or associated with. One story involves Bob Weller’s recovery on July 3, 1993 of what
In cooperation with the 1715 Fleet Society and its 300th Anniversary Commemoration of the loss of this famous Spanish fleet, Cover Coins, whenever possible over the next six issues, will be selected from the Society’s website study set. First up is this ruggedly handsome piece-of-eight minted at the Potosí facility and described on the 1715FleetSociety.com
Our treasure offering for April can be found on display at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee, Florida. The coins (or more accurately, cobs) depicted are silver 8 reales from the Spanish colonial mint at Lima, Peru. The Lima mint opened in 1568 and operated sporadically until 1592. After a 70 year hiatus it
The Miami Herald announces that a new exhibit, “The Artist and the Sea” at the Miami Art Center will feature treasure including silver bars, pieces of eight and Chinese porcelains from the Spanish treasure Fleet of 1715 courtesy of the Real Eight Company.