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Too Much Too Late - The 1715 Treasure FleetSalvaged from the sea, this piece of eight was carried in a 1715 treasure fleet, along with thousands of other coins of silver and gold.The fleet sailed from Havana on July 24th of 1715, well past the beginning of hurricane season. From this you may correctly surmise that the fleet, or some part of it, came to a bad end. In fact, all but one of the dozen ships that sailed with the 1715 treasure fleet was lost in a major hurricane just off the Florida coast. The story that comes with this coin, and the others occasionally recovered by beachcombers and serious treasure hunters is a tale of too much, too late. BackgroundFrom the time of Columbus, Spain laid claim to New World wealth – fulfilled in the cargoes of ships sailing annually from Havana to Spain. Havana was the assembly point for ships sailing in from a number of mainland ports, notably, Cartagena and Vera Cruz.Piracy was a growing problem in this region, with the War of the Spanish Succession adding English privateers to the mix. In reaction, the treasure fleets, also known as “plate fleets” or "flotas”, were cancelled for two years prior to 1715. But this suspension could not be tolerated indefinitely, with the burgeoning supply of spanish doubloons and bullion from rich Mexican mines, along with the increasing demand of the Spanish King for war-funding cash. Furthermore, if the fleet were to sail at all, it needed to happen in time to avoid the hurricane season – a force of nature we continue to deal with in our own time. DelayThe ships from Cartagena arrived in Havana well before those from Vera Cruz, which were obliged to wait for heavily burdened mule trains bearing gold and silver coin and bullion from interior mints.And there were other reasons for the delay: Each year a valuable shipment of porcelain, ivory, and silk was sent to Acapulco via the Manila Galleon, sailing from the Philippines. This meant more slow moving mule trains to Vera Cruz on the east coast. Apparently, a slow boat to China has nothing on a slow mule train to Vera Cruz… An additional distraction was an untimely demand from King Phillip that a meticulous selection of rare emeralds and other jewels be carefully gathered and added to the cargoes before sailing. It seems that the Duchesse of Parma, courted by Phillip as the next Queen of Spain, had a taste for elaborate adornment to be appeased at any cost. And so it was. Voyage To DisasterAt length the 1715 treasure fleet set sail, leaving Havana on July 24th – well beyond the start of hurricane season. Nonetheless, the first few days were pleasant with fair winds, the ships sailing with the warm current of the Gulf Stream. But it didn’t last.The morning of the 29th the wind diminished to a whisper, then to dead calm. A long, smoothly rolling swell remained. The ships’ spars could be heard slamming against the masts. The sun, veiled in a gauzy haze, glinted ominously upon the surface of an oily looking sea. The alert captain of the Grifon, a French merchant vessel allowed to join the 1715 treasure fleet, had wisely sailed somewhat to the east of the other ships. His experience in this part of the world made him wary. Within a few hours his apprehension was validated by the returning winds, swiftly building in force and backing in rotation to the northeast. The familiar cycle of tropical depression, to storm, to hurricane gathered up the unprotected fleet. There was little the Spanish captains could do as the inevitable catastrophe bore down upon them. Enormous waves swept away rigging and anything or anyone on deck. Soon hulls and spirits began to fail as the storm pushed the scattered ships onto the Florida beaches. As the lost treasure ships broke up, pieces of eight and many other types of Spanish coin descended in a glittering cascade toward the ocean floor. More than 700 sailors perished. From that time to the present day, the 1715 treasure fleet has been a magnet for treasure hunters. But that’s another story!
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