The Jupiter Shipwreck

In the winter of 1659-1660 a ship named the San Miguel de Archangel set sail from Portobello in present day Panama. By the early 1600′s, Portobello had become one of the most important ports in the New World, and Spain was sending all of the new world treasures there from all of South America. The Jupiter wreck, believed to be the San Miguel de Archangel, stopped there just before leaving for Spain. On board was a cargo with great importance including coins from an illegally opened new world mint, rare transitional period coins, and important correspondence from New World officials bound for King Phillip IV of Spain.

Little did the officials know, a storm was brewing in the Atlantic that would hit the East coast of Florida just as they rounded the keys and entered the Bahamas channel. At first, it was a mild winter storm, but just after passing “Jega” (modern day Jupiter Florida) the full force of the storm was felt. The ship was unable to hold her course, and was blown into the reefs near the Jupiter Inlet. Only 33 souls survived the wreck, over 70 others were not so fortunate. Millions of pesos of the kings treasure were also lost.

Skip forward until in 1987, Jupiter Beach lifeguard Peter Leo spotted something unusual on his morning swim. What Peter saw was a cannon and an anchor. He talked with a friend about his discovery, and after a lengthy court battle, a Federal Admiralty Claim was awarded to Mr. Leo and his partners. The study and salvage of the ship commenced immediately, and Florida State Archaeologists were treated to a snapshot of colonial Spanish/American history ranging from 1652-1659.

To date, over 15,000 coins, several bars of silver and gold, and countless tools, ships fittings, and personal items have been recovered from the wreck and turned over to archeologists for conservation and study. The project is on-going and will likely last for many decades to come. Every day brings new adventure, knowledge, and history to the light of day again. The crew of the Seahunter will remain on the site until they find the final resting place of the lower hull, which has yet to be discovered. The ship appears to have separated below the gun decks on impact, sending the lower hull straight down and tossing the gun deck and super structure towards shore. There are two trails of artifacts currently being followed, at the end of one of them will lie the bulk of the treasure, and an immense cultural deposit which will keep nautical archaeologists intrigued and occupied for years to come.