Sunken Treasure off Amelia Is

There are modern-day Pirates on Amelia Island that believe that the San Miguel, one of the top 10 unrecovered Treasures in the world is located off the coast here. Valued at $2 billion the pirates with Amelia Island Rescue and Recovery hunt treasure like sharks hunt for food.     With their $3 million specially designed three-legged recovery vessel “the Polly L” that can stand 88 ft from the ocean floor, divers can save precious time by living on board instead of cruising back and forth to shore.  Spending a day with these divers was an experience as the waters are shark ridden and you can’t see more than two feet in front of your face

The San Miguel set sail from Havana in July 1715 along with 12 other ships. Bound for Spain the fleet got caught in a bad hurricane near Vero Beach Florida and 11 of the ships sunk killing over a thousand people.  About a third of the treasure was salvaged while the rest is still out there.  One ship the San Miguel was one of the ships lost in the storm but it’s believed it made its way North before sinking.  The San Miguel was the fastest ship in the fleet.   Logic dictates that it would have been given the most treasure since it could have escaped possible attacks from Pirates.  The ship was last seen without a mast floating past St. Augustine heading north.  The reason the San Miguel is so sought after is that it was the register ship of the fleet, meaning it had permission to carry important cargo and passengers.             . It likely carried the Queen’s Dowry full of silver gold and gemstones.