By Marc Littleton DM / Treasure Finder – Scubawize.com
I’m a
Treasure Hunter, Diver and love adventures on the oceans. I’m hooked on
saving historical past of Spanish Treasure for future generations and telling the story
to others of what we do and why. I obtained my begin diving within the early 1970’s when
I used to be simply 12 years outdated off the coast of NJ on the various wrecks up and down the
coast, my aim was to dive the Andrea Doria which I did in 1986 for the primary
time after turning into a Divemaster. Rising up listening to tales of individuals like Jacques Cousteau the
grandfather of all Scuba Diving and Treasure hunters like Kip Wagner, Artwork
McKee, Commander Bob “Frogfoot” Weller, Jack Haskins and naturally the Mel
Fisher solely to say a couple of, there are such a lot of extra. They have been what desires
have been product of, crusing the seas, romantic adventures, treasures and I needed my
identify proper with them. I needed to be one among them recovering historical past proper alongside
the aspect of them. Nicely this was only a dream of a little bit boy, proper? Nicely that is
the place my story began, however first.
Let me
take you again over 300 years to the early 1700’s battle broke out over the
succession of the Spanish crown. King George II had died childless, however on his
deathbed, had named as his nephew inheritor Philippe, the grandson of Louis XIV of
France. Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor, who needed to see his son, Archduke
Charles Louis John Joseph Laurenrtius, ascend the throne, didn’t kindly
obtain this determination. Leopold additionally needed to forestall in any respect price any shut
alliance between France and Spain. Struggle broke out, with England and the Dutch on
one aspect, and Spain, France, Portugal, Bavaria, and Savoy on the opposite.
The
oceans turned the situation battles and barbaric encounters between service provider
vessels and privateers. The ocean routes between Spain and the Americas not
had protected passage, and the a lot wanted circulate of New World treasure was virtually
fully halted. Issues have been going very unhealthy for the brand new King Philip V and his
kingdom. Within the 12 months 1702 Spain obtained an amazing blow when a big English
naval drive entered Vigo Bay, on the coast of Spain. A battle of immense
proportion was below manner, the English have been taking management by sinking a big
variety of warships, capturing others and seizing items and treasure.
The Struggle
of Succession got here to an finish in 1715 by treaties often called the Peace of Utrecht.
The treaty between England and France confirmed King Philip V’s succession to
the throne of Spain. Though the battle had ended, the peace was an uneasy one,
and the previous foes remained on edge and prepared for one more confrontation.
Spain
was in dire want of economic reduction. At King Philip V’s order, a fleet was
dispatched to America to be able to convey again the urgently wanted gold and
silver, which had been accumulating throughout the battle simply ready for protected
passage. They carried 14
million pesos, value over 950 million in as we speak’s market, with a lot of it nonetheless
ready to be discovered, together with the well-known “Queen’s Jewels”. After a two-year delay, the mighty Plate Fleet was prepared
to sail house to Spain. The eleven ships making up the fleet assembled
in Havana within the July of 1715.
The
nice treasure fleet of 1715 sailed from Havana harbor within the early morning of
July twenty fourth, a stupendous and calm day, with a mild breeze to assist the ships
discover the Florida present which ran north and up the Straits of Florida often called
the Gulf Stream. Slowly and easily the ships of the fleet gently adopted the
East coast of Florida, staying far sufficient away from the shore to take benefit
of the Gulf Stream, staying away from the treacherous shoals and reef formations
which fringed the Florida coast. For the primary 5 days the voyage was
uneventful with the climate good and no indication in anyway of the expeditiously
approaching killer storm. Then on July twenty ninth, massive swells began to seem,
coming from the southeast. The climate turned heavy with moisture with the solar
shining brightly via the haze. A delicate breeze nonetheless blew and the ocean was
easy, however the swells began to make the ship gently roll over the swells.
The skilled navigators, pilots, and outdated fingers began to be very involved.
They knew that these have been the early indicators of an impending tropical storm.
The
storm had reached alarming depth with winds on the heart of the storm
reaching over 100 miles per hour. By dusk the hurricane had made a
drastic change in course, out of the blue veering on to the west. On the morning
of July thirtieth, alongside the east coast of Florida, simply south of Cape Canaveral,
winds had begun to select up and by noon had elevated to properly over twenty
knots and the seas have been quickly increase and. By late afternoon winds had
elevated to over thirty knots and the waves have been reaching twenty toes. Common
Juan Esteban de Ubilla’s fleet was pushed nearer to shore by the relentless
storm. The Common gave the order that every one ships head into the wind to be able to
keep properly away from the reef and shoals, however the try was not that profitable.
The wind stored rising, and by midnight, the ships have been virtually out of
management. Round 4 a.m. on July thirty first, the hurricane struck the doomed ships with
all its would possibly, driving one ship after one other on the lethal jagged reefs. The
ships broke up in items. Common Ubilla’s Capitana disintegrated, crushed on
the reef like toothpicks. Nearly all aboard have been killed, together with Common Ubilla
himself. All the fleet was misplaced, and of the some twenty 5 hundred individuals
aboard numerous ships, properly over one thousand 600 perished within the storm.
The one ship to outlive the storm was the French warship Griffon, Captain Antoine d’Aire having chosen to go
in the direction of the northeast and into the storm; arriving on August 31st, 1715.
For over 200 fifty years this horrible
catastrophe was lengthy forgotten and misplaced to historical past. That’s till this house
builder from Miamisburg Ohio visited Vero Seashore Florida on trip his identify is
Kip Wagner. At some point, a pal of Kip’s, Captain
S. Parker, advised Kip that after storms, silver cash have been often washed up
on the seashores between Wabasso and Sebastian. A Spanish treasure fleet had
wrecked off this space in 1715. After some skepticism, Kip turned an everyday on
the seashores (in free time from his building work) and started to search out cash
himself. By the 1964 salvage season, Kip Wagner estimated that
between Actual Eight and (Mel Fishers) Treasure Salvors Inc., they’d recovered
from the wreck websites “a treasure valued in extra of $3 million in gold,
silver, jewellery, and artifacts,” with most likely over $14 million value of
treasure nonetheless to be discovered.
Due to the success of Mel’s Treasure Salvers and Kips Actual
Eight Firm the information made the papers, the cat was out of the bag, and the
coast was out of the blue stuffed with treasure hunters wanting in on the act. The state of
Florida additionally determined that procedures must be modified, with reference to
what proportion of the discovering they might obtain, and so forth, everybody needed a
piece of the golden pie! Whereas tens of millions have already been discovered, is assumed
that solely a really small proportion of treasure has been recovered over the
years.
Quick ahead to 2010, I had the chance to fulfill the person who
mentored for a few years below the well-known Captain Jack Haskins his identify is Capt.
Carl Fismer aka “Fizz as his buddies name him. Capt. Fismer is the recipient of
the Mel Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award, Fizz has been working initiatives with
the person that mentored below Commander Bob “Frogfoot” Weller for twenty 5
years and his identify is Captain Bradley Williamson. Capt. Brad had labored on a
boat referred to as the Pandion for a few years beginning within the early 1970’s with
Frogfoot Weller. Between these two they’ve been Treasure attempting to find over 60
years. With my background it turned a pure match and all of us turned buddies and
over time we shaped a small firm referred to as Scuba Wize the place we educate college students
the artwork of marine archeology and the preservation of historical past they usually dive on
two 1733 Spanish Galleons within the Florida Keys. We have now had many college students come
via our doorways and all give us a 5 star critiques, many come again to
expertise the journey greater than as soon as. Whereas this workshops happen 12 months
spherical, now we have our personal initiatives that happen throughout the 12 months.
Capt. Fizz and Capt. Brad bought and restored the oldest
boat of its measurement in as we speak treasure looking fleet the “Pandion”. As Capt. Brad
would say, she is the little engine that would and does.
The Pandion is chargeable for extra treasure being recovered
than another vessel her measurement. The Pandion is ideal for working the
shipwreck websites of the 1715 Treasure Fleet. We have now a number of targets we’re looking out
to recuperate treasure together with the well-known “Royals Ville” because it was referred to as Commander
Bob Weller referred to as it.
At present, the three of us are working as a group on the Pandion
off the coast FT Peirce Florida. We’re recovering artifacts and treasure and I
am residing the lifetime of journey and fulfilling my childhood desires of working
with the perfect treasure hunters on the market as we speak for my part. This goes to
show that if a little bit boy from NJ could make his desires come true, you possibly can too!
In case you have gotten this far I do know you’re like me and have the bug to search out and protect historical past. I’m honored to be diving with two of the perfect within the Treasure looking / Discovering folks within the marine archeology and the preservation of historical past. We work collectively as a group and we wish to provide the alternative to affix at one among our Sunken Treasure workshops within the Florida Keys and dive on two 1733 Spanish Galleons. In case you get pleasure from your self we even will provide you with the chance to affix us on one among our initiatives as different college students have finished. For extra info please go to our web site www.scubawize.com
