NUESTRA SENORA DE ATOCHA
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:57 pm
Built as a wooden 3-masted galleon by the yard of Alonso Ferrera, Havana, Cuba.
Launched as the NUESTRA SEÑORA de ATOCHA, named after the Virgin associated with a well known shrine in Madrid.
Tonnage 550 tons, dim. 33.5 x 10.1 x 4.3m.
Armament 20 till 24 guns.
Crew 260.
She was built as a convoy escort between 1619 and 1620 for the protection of the Spanish treasure fleets, which sailed between Central America and the Caribbean to Spain.
On her maiden voyage from Havana to Sanlúcar she sprung her mainmast, and during the return voyage to Havana she leaked badly in her bows.
She was the “almirante” of the treasure fleet which every year left the Caribbean bound for Spain.
23 March 1622 the fleet left Spain for the Caribbean, after a short call at Dominica, the fleet with the NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ATOCHA sailed to Cartagena, Columbia.
24 May 1622 the fleet arrived at Portobello, Panama.
There she loaded silver and gold from the mines in Potosi, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. Also 48 passengers embarked.
22 July 1622 the fleet sailed from Porto Bello and after a call at Cartagena to load tobacco and emeralds the treasure fleet sailed to Havana, arriving there on 22 August.
There some raw copper and indigo was loaded.
When leaving the NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ATOCHA had on board a cargo valued of 1 million pesos.
04 September 1622 at the height of the hurricane season the fleet of 28 ships left Havana.
The next morning the fleet was hit by a hurricane, driven the ships north towards the Florida Keys.
In the mountainous seas not much could be done, and after first driven to the north, then the fleet was driven to the south, the foremost ships of the fleet were lucky, she passed the Dry Tortugas and were driven in the more safe waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ATOCHE in the rear of the fleet was not so fortunate, sail, masts and rigging mostly gone she drifted helpless in the direction of the Florida Keys and on 06 September she drifted on the reefs off Key West, together with five other ships of the fleet.
She sank in 55 feet of water only her mizenmast was visible, of her crew and passengers only 5 men were rescued by the merchantmen SANTA CRUZ the next day, they were still clinging to the ship mizzenmast.
The SANTA CRUZ returned to Havana with the news of the lost vessels, immediately a salvage team left for the wrecks, to salvage so much as possible of the treasures on board the wrecks.
Divers who could hold their breath tried to enter the ship, but they could not open the hatches, and when a next storm hit the wreck the mizenmast snapped off, and the position of the wreck was lost.
Till 1623 new attempts were made to find the ship without success.
20 July 1985 the wreck was found by the treasure hunter Mel Fisher.
Source Some web-sites and Treasure of the Atocha by Mathewson.