In 1715, a Spanish fleet of 11 ships sailing from Cuba was struck by a hurricane off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. Only one was spared-the Urca de Lima.

The other ships in the fleet broke apart in the storm, but the Urca de Lima was washed ashore, but generally left intact. The Spanish were quick to salvage what they could from the grounded ship and then burned it to the waterline to keep it from falling into the hands of the English, Spain’s enemy at the time.

The wreck site was rediscovered when 16 cannons and 4 anchors were recovered in the 1920s. Over the next few decades modern salvage operations recovered one silver bar, two silver wedges, and five iron cannons. Other artifacts recovered from the Urca de Lima included a swivel gun, bar shot, and a large piece of copper ingot.

State archaeologists fully recorded the site in 1985 and designated it as Florida’s first underwater archaeological preserve two years later.

Written, narrated, and produced by the University of West Florida, the Florida Public Archaeology Network and WUWF Public Media.