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N0KFQ > TODAY 31.07.13 18:04l 41 Lines 1666 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 2450_KB0WSA
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Subj: Today in History - Jul 31
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JE7YGF<VE3UIL<N0KFQ<KB0WSA
Sent: 130731/1456Z 2450@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.55
Jul 31, 1715:
Hurricane sinks Spanish treasure ships
A hurricane strikes the east coast of Florida, sinking 10 Spanish
treasure ships and killing nearly 1,000 people, on this day in
1715. All of the gold and silver onboard at the time would not be
recovered until 250 years later.
From 1701, Spain sent fleets of ships to the Western Hemisphere
to bring back natural resources, including gold and silver. These
groups of ships were heavily fortified against pirates, but there
was little that could be done to protect them from bad weather.
On July 24, 10 Spanish ships and one French ship left Havana,
Cuba, on their way to Europe, carrying tons of gold and silver
coins, about 14 million pesos worth. The Spanish ships stayed
very close to the Florida coast, as was the custom, while the
French ship, the Grifon, ventured further out from the shore. A
week later, as the ships were between Cape Canaveral and Fort
Pierce, in modern-day Florida, the winds picked up dramatically.
The hurricane advanced quickly and, one by one, the ships were
wrecked. The Nuestra Senora de la Regla sank, sending 200 people
and 120 tons of coins to a watery grave. The Santa Cristo de San
Ramon went down with 120 sailors aboard. In all, somewhere
between 700 and 1,000 people lost their lives in the wrecks.
Meanwhile, the Grifon was able to ride out the storm; most of its
crew survived.
In the following months, Spanish officials in Havana sent ships
to salvage the treasure. About 80 percent had been recovered by
April 1716, but the rest remained lost until the 1960s.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Using Outpost Ver 2.7.0 c21
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