Coins from the Atocha shipwreck of 1622. This famous shipwreck has been well documented and publicized in the media. The Nuestra de la Atocha sank during a hurricane southwest of Key West.
The fleet departed Spain on March 23, 1622 and after a brief stop at the Caribbean Island of Dominica, the Atocha and the Tierra Firme Fleet continued on to the port of Cartagena, Columbia, arriving in Portobello on May 24th. Treasure from Lima, Peru and Potosi, Bolivia was still arriving by mule train from Panama City. On July 22, the Tierra Firme Fleet set sail for Havana, via Cartagena, to meet the fleet returning from Veracruz. In Cartagena, the Atocha received an additional cargo load of treasure. It was late August, already well into the hurricane season, before the fleet arrived in Havana.
The Atocha was heavily armed and guarded against attacks from pirates. For this reason, she was the ship of choice for wealthy passengers, who carried a large amount of personal treasure.
On Sunday, September 4th, with the weather near perfect, the Atocha set sail for Spain. The twenty-eight ships of the combined fleet raised anchor and in single file set a course due north towards the Florida Keys and the strong Gulf Stream current. The Atocha, sitting low from its heavy cargo, took up its assigned position in the rear. By evening the wind started to pick up out of the northeast growing stronger through the night. By daybreak the rough seas forced most passengers below deck, many of whom were seasick or in prayer.
The Atocha, Santa Margarita, Nuestra Señora del Rosario and two smaller vessels all at the tail end of the convoy received the full impact of the storm. With their sails and rigging reduced to shreds, and masts and tillers battered or broken, the ships drifted helplessly toward the reefs. All five ships were lost, with the Atocha alone losing 260 passengers with only five survivors.
Salvage attempts began immediately. The Atocha was found in 55 feet of water with the top of its mast in plain view. Divers, limited to holding their breath, attempted recovery but were unable to break into the hatches. They marked the site and continued searching for the other wrecks. While the salvagers were in Havana obtaining the proper equipment to retrieve the Atocha's treasure, a second hurricane struck, destroying the masts and all other visble signs of the ship. When they returned, the wreck was no where to be found and salvage attempts over the next 10 years proved futile. Copies of the ship's register and written events of the times eventually found their way into the Archives of the Indies in Seville, Spain. These documents, like the treasure itself, laid in obscurity for more than three centuries, until Mel Fisher began his quest for it's treasure.
ALL COINS LISTED HERE ARE GENUINE (NOT REPRODUCTIONS or REPLICAS) AND COME WITH THE OFFICIAL MEL FISHER CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY