Shipwreck divers institute an amazing bountifulness of treasure aboard a shipwreck last calendar month off the slide of Florida .
TheCapitana , part of a 1715Spanish hoarded wealth fleet , yielded over a million buck ’ worth of riches in the form of 52 atomic number 79 coin , 40 feet of amber chain and 110 silver coin and buttons .
Found on June 17 , the telling draw was kept under wraps by the diving team as result by Eric Schmitt , to be announced on the date of the 300 - year anniversary of the fleet ’s sinking off the Floridian coast .
There were 11 ships that formed part of Spain’sTierra Firme and New Spain fleet , which would regularly transport gold , silver and other treasures from Spanish colony to Europe .
bump off by a violent storm while pass Florida en path to Spain , the ships sink on July 30 and July 31 in 1715 .
The treasure was a much unexpected catch for the diving event team . “ Typically we excavate empty holes and find beer cans , ” Schmitt sound out toNational Geographic .
dive 305 meters ( 1,000 feet ) off the slide of Fort Piece , Florida , in waters only 4.5 meter ( 15 feet ) deep , the divers struck atomic number 79 .
“ It was absolutely insubstantial , ” say Schmitt . The underwater diver contacted Brent Brisben , co - founding father of1715 Treasure Fleet - Queens Jewels , a Florida - based preservation effort and archival resource for lost and found shipwreck .
Schmitt ’s discovery could be the big in “ bulk and rarity”,remarksBrisben . Among the gold coins , they receive a highly sought - after rare coin called a Tricentennial Royal , which would have been craft to perfection and presented to the business leader .
Where there ’s amber , there could be even more gold . Schmitt and his diving team have go on to plunge and search around the website of the shipwreck . However , they ’ve only found more silver coins and buttons , and several candle holder .
All of the artifacts , as they were found in Florida , are under the legal power of the state . Florida will get off example every year to examine any findsand make petition to the Court for anything that could be transferred to museums .
Brisben and the Schmitt family will split this unbelievable haul evenly , after the body politic engage its share .
[ H / T : National Geographic ]
