The Spanish galleon "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" died an untimely death, having been built in Havana in 1620 and ending up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean just two years later, due to an incredible storm that also destroyed other ships traveling with it: the "Santa Margarita" and the "Nuestra Señora del Rosario."
The events date back to September 1622, when the Nuestra Señora de Atocha left Havana loaded with 24 tons of silver in 1,038 ingots, 255,000 silver coins, 161 gold coins, 582 copper ingots, 125 gold bars and discs, 350 chests of indigo, 525 bales of tobacco, 20 bronze cannons, as well as countless jewels, precious stones, and contraband items; in short, a treasure of incalculable value.
However, two days later, a spectacular storm broke out and ended up sinking this spectacular ship weighing 550 tons, 112 feet long, 34 feet wide and four feet deep. It had barely visited Spain once in its short life.
The survivors
The shipwreck of the Spanish galleon took place off the coast of Florida. Of the 265 crew members, only five survived: three sailors and two slaves who managed to cling to the stump of the mizzen mast, the only part that was not swallowed up by the sea.
The rescuers who saved these men also tried to open the hull of the ship, but it was impossible, so they abandoned the mission and went to the rescue of the "Santa Margarita" and the "Nuestra Señora del Rosario." Weeks later, another hurricane struck the area, destroying the last remains of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which became history.
Over the next six decades, multiple Spanish teams searched for the wreckage of the ship with the intention of rescuing its valuable booty, but all attempts were in vain. The Atlantic Ocean had left no trace of the ship.
The discovery
On July 20, 1985, Mel Fisher and his crew, Treasure Salvors, finally found the Nuestra Señora de Atocha after more than 15 years of tireless searching, during which several of Fisher's fellow adventurers had died at sea.
The treasure from the ship was valued at around 400 million dollars, including, among many other pieces of gold, silver and copper pieces, an emerald of over 77 carats valued at $750,000. Today, the remains of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita form the most important collection of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum, consisting of countless ingots and coins that left La Habana for Spain in 1622.