A treasure-hunting crew’s dream recently turned into a reality after a group of shipwreck divers stumbled upon over 200 silver coins amidst 300-year-old shipwrecks off the coast of Florida.
The coins found date back to 1715, which came from fleets of Spanish ships coming from the New World at the time, which had been sunken to the bottom of the ocean during their voyage back to Europe due to a hurricane.
A group of divers stumbled upon the hidden treasure while searching near a known shipwreck area off the coast of Florida. Captain Grant Gitschlag and his crew of their boat, the Lily May found a total of 214 coins as well as other artifacts that date back to the 1715 Spanish fleet that was sunken 309 years ago. The discovery was labeled as remarkable, as the area of the wreck had been surveyed many times before, to which no treasure had ever been found. The treasure-hunting team told local Florida media outlet WOFL-TV that they had been searching for treasure for years on the coast of the Indian River County, which is on the east coast of Florida, just north of Port St. Lucie.
A company that owns the exclusive salvage rights to the 1715 shipwreck named 1715 Fleet Queen’s Jewels, took to social media to share the celebratory find with fans. The company posted that the Lily May diving team found the first treasure of the season, with the crew recovering over 200 silver cobs. The salvage company congratulated the crew for their findings which were the first since 2015.
The National Park Services explained a thorough backstory to the many ships that had traveled through those waters many years ago. According to the NPS, pirate ships and other vessels from European countries would attempt to size the valuables from the Spanish fleet ships during the 18th century, which would “jeopardize” Spain’s attempt at dominance in the Americas.
