1715 Treasure Fleet

Common card · No. 200423

The 1715 Treasure Fleet was a combination of two Spanish treasure fleets returning from the New World to Spain, the "Nueva España Fleet", under Captain-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, and the "Tierra Firme Fleet", under Don Antonio de Echeverz y Zubiza. At two in the morning on Wednesday, July 31, 1715, seven days after departing from Havana, Cuba, all eleven ships of the fleet were lost in a hurricane along the east coast of Florida. A 12th ship, the French frigate Le Grifon, had sailed with the fleet. Its captain was unfamiliar with the Florida coastline and elected to stay further out to sea. Le Grifon safely returned to Europe. Because the fleet was carrying silver, it is also known as the 1715 Plate Fleet (plata being the Spanish word for silver). According to Cuban records, around 1,500 sailors perished in the storm, while a small number survived in lifeboats. Many other ships, including pirates, took part in the initial salvage. By the end of August, relief ships from Havana...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Augi Garcia, CC BY-SA 3.0