The San Pedro
A diver maps the San Pedro.
(Photo: Florida Bureau of Archeology for the Florida Keys
National Marine Sanctuary)
The San Pedro, a member of the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet
caught by a hurricane in the Straits of Florida, sank in 18 feet of
water one-and-a quarter miles south of Indian Key. She is the oldest
shipwreck on the Shipwreck Trail with the mystique of a Spanish
treasure shipwreck to draw divers and snorkelers alike.
The 287-ton Dutch-built vessel San Pedro and 21 other
Spanish ships under the command of Rodrigo de Torres left Havana,
Cuba, on Friday, July 13, 1733, bound for Spain. The
San Pedro carried l6,000 pesos in Mexican silver and
numerous crates of Chinese porcelain. Upon entering the Straits of
Florida, an oncoming hurricane was signaled by an abrupt wind
change. The Spanish treasure fleet, caught off the Florida Keys was
ordered back to Havana by their Captain. But it was too late, the
storm intensified and scattered, sank or swamped most of the fleet.
The wreck of the San Pedro was found in the 1960s in Hawk
Channel. At this time the site was heavily salvaged by treasure
hunters. Silver coins dating between 173l and 1733 were recovered
from the pile of ballast and cannons that marked the place of her
demise. Elements of the ship's rigging and hardware as well as
remnants of her cargo were unearthed and removed.
The large pile of ballast, dense stones from European river beds,
typically stacked in lower holds of sailing ships to increase their
stability, marks the spot where the San Pedro went down.
Mixed in with the ballast are flat, red ladrillo bricks from the
ship's galley. In 1989 this site became a State of Florida
Underwater Archaeological Preserve. Replica cannons, an anchor from
another 1733 shipwreck site, and a bronze plaque were placed on the
site to enhance its interpretation.