Spanish Treasure Fleet Wrecked

July 31, 1715

A hurricane caught eleven Spanish galleons returning from Havana off the Florida coast, loaded with silver and emeralds. Most sank; a thousand sailors drowned. Pirates and salvors flocked for years. Henry Jennings's raid on the Spanish salvage camp helped launch the Golden Age of Caribbean piracy. Treasure hunters still dive the wrecks off Vero Beach, pulling coins from the sand three centuries later.