Buried treasure…the phrase always makes us picture a treasure map that eventually leads us to a place in the middle of nowhere, where we will be digging a hole in the ground, all the while hoping the treasure map was correct and the treasure is almost in our hands. Just the thought of it brings excitement, but what if the treasure is not buried underground, but rather under water. The treasure of the San Miguel is a remarkable trove. Thought to be located on Amelia Island, Florida, in the Nassau Sound, it is estimated to be worth at least $2 billion. The problem…finding it.
The San Miguel was a Spanish ship that was part of a fleet sent from Cuba to Spain in 1715. After the Peace of Utrecht treaty ended Spain’s conflicts with France in 1714, the Spanish King found himself broke after years of war. Desperate for funds, he ordered a huge treasure of American gold and silver to be gathered in Cuba and shipped back to Spain. The colonial government complied, loading 11 ships with 14 million pesos worth of gold and silver in various forms. The San Miguel was one of those ships.
Because the San Miguel was the fastest ship of the fleet, the most capable of outmaneuvering pirates, and thus the most likely to arrive home safely, it carried a bigger load of treasure than any other vessel in the fleet. According to historical records, the San Miguel, because it was heavier, also disembarked a day before the other 10 ships. They should have caught up with it at some point. Unfortunately, summer weather in the West Indies is temperamental. No one on shore could have predicted that a hurricane would start blowing just as the main treasure fleet was departing. The fierce winds smashed the fleet off the Florida coast, capsizing or wrecking the ships as they passed Vero Beach. An estimated 1,000 people drowned. After the storm, the Spanish colonial government managed to salvage about half of the treasure; the rest remained sunk too deep, buried in the sand under gloom waters. Nevertheless, over the years seven of the ships and some of their treasure have been found.
The San Miguel, however, has never been found. It is assumed the San Miguel sank, mostly because no one ever heard from it again. It is unknown just how far ahead of the main fleet the San Miguel might have gotten. 
Treasure hunters believe it is located off Amelia Island, mainly because gold coins, cannons and even a jeweler’s furnace have been discovered near the southern part of Amelia Island. They all believe that the wreck of the San Miguel, and all its long-lost treasure, can’t be far. Still, why can’t they find it, even with all of our modern-day technology. Even in the face of all these years, treasure hunters have not given up. Periodically they “make another run” at finding the long-lost ship. Who knows, maybe just maybe someone will finally be the one to solve this bizarre 310-year-old mystery…and get rich for their efforts.
Leave a Reply