RECOVERY
La Nuestra Señora de Atocha
During the 1600's, Spain controlled many colonies in the Americas. One of these colonies was Havana. All of the goods from across the colonies were brought to Havana and then sent to Spain. Silver from Peru and Mexico, gold and emeralds from Colombia, and pearls from Venezuela all arrived in Havana. On September 4, 1622 the Tierra Firme flota of twenty eight ships left Havana bound for Spain. The next day while passing through the Florida straights, a massive hurricane hit and destroyed almost all of the ships. One of the twenty eight ships and the largest was the Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The Atocha was the most heavily armed ship so it stayed in the back to prevent an attack from behind. The Atocha weighed 550 tons and it was 112 feet long with a 34 foot beam. This journey was only the second voyage of the Atocha. During the 1622 return voyage to Spain, the Atocha was loaded with so many goods that it is almost impossible to put a price on it. Its cargo included 24 tons of silver bullion in 1038 ingots, 180,00 pesos of silver coins, 582 copper ingots, 125 gold bars and discs, 350 chests of indigo, 525 bales of tobacco, 20 bronze cannon, and 1,200 pounds of worked silverware. When the Atocha sank, 265 people were onboard. Five people managed to survive by holding onto floating debris and reaching the shore. Rescuers attempts to recover the goods inside the Atocha, but the pressure caused by the water kept it shut. They marked the spot of the wreck and moved on to different sunken ships. When a second hurricane hit, the wreck was further destroyed and it was never discovered by Spain again. For over three centuries, people have been trying to find the wreck but no one has been successful. On July 20, 1985 the remains of the Atocha were finally discovered. Kane Fisher, captain of the salvage vessel Dauntless, was the one who discovered the wreck. A lot of the artifacts have been recovered and are now on display at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum. The locating and removal of artifacts from the Atocha are considered the greatest ship wreck recover of all time.