Mystery Lost Treasure Fleet

[Bobadilla]

Hi everybody,

" In 1643 gold fleet of 16 galleons bound for Spain was entirely lost north of island of Haiti (actual Haiti nad Dominican Republic) in storm. "

I have been trying to find out more details about this fleet but everything seems to be covered by silence and mystery. Even in Sevilla Archive nobody can find nothing. It is really strange. Around Puerto Principe on the northern coast of Haiti it is said that you can find gold coins on the beach after big storm on regular bases but there are so many gold laden shipwrecks between Puerto Principe and the island of Tortuga over there. It does not mean this lost fleet is there.

Please help with any possible information.
Thanks to all.
Lobo

 

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[buscadero]

Lobo: The only info I have is as follows: On Nov. 18, 1643, !6 Galleons left Puerto Plata. A Hurricaine pushed them onto a reef off the Turks, The Reefs of Ambrogian Shoals! Which I believe is where Wm. Phips, & later, Burt Webber found Treasure. "The Silver Shoals"

That's all,

Joe

 

[Salvor6]

The 1643 fleet is a ghost fleet since there is no mention of it in Seville. Only one ship is recorded as lost N. of DR in 1643, the Capitana of De Guerro. Where did you hear an entire fleet was lost? Also, there was no Haiti in 1643. It was known as Hispanola.

 

[buscadero]

www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1600-00/Phips.htm (2d Paragraph)


Joe

 

[Bobadilla]

The 1643 fleet is a ghost fleet since there is no mention of it in Seville. Only one ship is recorded as lost N. of DR in 1643, the Capitana of De Guerro. Where did you hear an entire fleet was lost? Also, there was no Haiti in 1643. It was known as Hispanola.

Hello Salvor,

Haiti as a independent country really did not exist in 1643 but from the beginning of Spanish conquer in 1493 this island, now devided between Haiti and Dominican Republic, was called by different historians and in different official documents with different names. It was reffered as "Hispaniola", "Island of Santo Domingo " or "Island of Haiti ". Haiti as a word was originally taken from native aboriginal, Tainos. It means "mountaneous" . The first settlement Cristopher Columbus made in the island was in La Navidad, in the "Island of Haiti" . The place was discovered several years ago by US archaeological team. It was exactly where Columbus placed it in his diary - in actual Haiti.

Thanks anyway!
Regards
Lobo

 

[Bobadilla]

Bingo Joe!!

I think you got it, my friend! I asked my friend to check in Sevilla Archive about this fleet abot two years ago, but no result. It could be what you found out. Silver Bank is known as a cemetery of dozens and dozens of old ships. "Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion ", which gave the name to " Silver Bank " salvaged firstly by Phipps and then in 80 's by Webber was the most famous one to be found in the Silver Bank. Jacque Cousteau found another one in 70 's looking for "Concepcion " and I talked to French explorers who were working there and they confirmed me that on the bottom of this very dangerous reef complex there are scattered many old ships. The problem in salvage works are strong currents, almost constantly bad weather with big waves, very narrow passages between reefs, sharks and bad visibility. And, of course, razor sharp reefs everywhere. That is why there are still so many ships waiting to be discovered. And Silver Bank is exactly 58 nautical miles north of DR, it means north of "Haiti " speaking in old names.
Thanks a lot for your commence, Joe!

Lobo

Lobo: The only info I have is as follows: On Nov. 18, 1643, !6 Galleons left Puerto Plata. A Hurricaine pushed them onto a reef off the Turks, The Reefs of Ambrogian Shoals! Which I believe is where Wm. Phips, & later, Burt Webber found Treasure. "The Silver Shoals"

That's all,

Joe

 

[Peg Leg]

Is it not amazing that there are so MANY GHOST WRECKS AN SHIP WRECKS almost every where you look

 

[bobinsd]

I can't believe that after leaving a new post "Atocha Possibility" re: info on the 1643 fleet, another post pops up referencing the same incident.

Karma?? Anyway, LeGaye says that in November 16 ships left Puerta Plata and 15 sunk mostly into deep (1000') water atSilver Bank
Passage. The survivor,La Santissima Trimidad, made it back to Puerta Plata for repairs and then to Cadiz. The Admilraty Court of Inquiry was held in Puerta Plata. Maybe that's where the files are!

 

[Bobadilla]

I can't believe that after leaving a new post "Atocha Possibility" re: info on the 1643 fleet, another post pops up referencing the same incident.

Karma?? Anyway, LeGaye says that in November 16 ships left Puerta Plata and 15 sunk mostly into deep (1000') water atSilver Bank
Passage. The survivor,La Santissima Trimidad, made it back to Puerta Plata for repairs and then to Cadiz. The Admilraty Court of Inquiry was held in Puerta Plata. Maybe that's where the files are!

Hello Bobinsd,

Thanks for your information. I have a trip to Puerto Plata in the beginning of the next week. I have some friends over there so I will try to put my hands on any possible documetnation about this "ghost" 1643 fleet sunk in the vicinity of Silver Bank. I will keep you informed if I find something there.

I would have one question.
How is it known that these 15 galleons sunk in deep water in Silver Bank passage and not in 60 feet of water on the reefs which would more logical?

Regards
Lobo

 

[Bobadilla]

Exactly my thought, Cornelius!

Best,
Lobo

Lobo . Your question is correctly put . If the fleet was lost, how do people know how deep it sank ? The only answer to that might be , because nobody found any trace , it MUST have sank in deep water . But .....it also may be that people looked in the wrong places . Just my idea ! Cornelius

 

[bobinsd]

LeGaye says that Phips recovered 30 tons in 1687 inwaters up to 60' using diving tubs. Apparently this was from one ship in the shoal area. The Spanish recorded no salvage. He may have found the Concepcion, which went down in 1659.

 

[ScubaFinder]

There was a great show on Discovery the other night, called Free Diver or Skin Diver I think. It had a long segment on the Silver Shoals with some great video of the area, and a little history of how it got it's name too. Probably not any new info, but if you've never been there, you could at least see some good underwater video of the area if you can catch it.

Jason

 

[Bobadilla]

LeGaye says that Phips recovered 30 tons in 1687 inwaters up to 60' using diving tubs. Apparently this was from one ship in the shoal area. The Spanish recorded no salvage. He may have found the Concepcion, which went down in 1659.

Hello,

Phips yes, found the galleon "Nuestra señora de la Concepcion" in the Silver Bank. As I know, he was behind this wreck from the beginning. I never heard that he was looking for 15 sunken galleons from the 1643 fleet. All the books and documents I have read so far tells that Phips really found "Concepsion" in his second try after getting somewhere rough scatch of the place when Concepcion went down in only 10 meters of water from one of the survivals of this galleon. All what he recoverd was actually from "Concepcion" not from other wreck. Even official documents from Dominican part of the salvage team say that as well, I read them. Webber and Tracy Bowden found even rests of bottles and some other rests of Phips' two expeditios to Silver Bank in the spot.

That has been one of the main reason why this lost fleet of 16 treasure galleons which dissapeared probably on the reefs of Silver Bank in November 1643 interest me so much. How is it possible that Phips did not know about them? They sunk only two years after the disaster of "Concepcion"? "Nuestra señora de la Concepcion " sunk in Silver Bank in 1641, not in 1659.

Regards

Lobo

 

[PhipsFolly]

Bobadilla,

I emailed you yesterday and haven't heard back from you. Can you contact me at: [email protected]

Thanks, Phips

 

[bobinsd]

Hello,

Phips yes, found the galleon "Nuestra señora de la Concepcion" in the Silver Bank. As I know, he was behind this wreck from the beginning. I never heard that he was looking for 15 sunken galleons from the 1643 fleet. All the books and documents I have read so far tells that Phips really found "Concepsion" in his second try after getting somewhere rough scatch of the place when Concepcion went down in only 10 meters of water from one of the survivals of this galleon. All what he recoverd was actually from "Concepcion" not from other wreck. Even official documents from Dominican part of the salvage team say that as well, I read them. Webber and Tracy Bowden found even rests of bottles and some other rests of Phips' two expeditios to Silver Bank in the spot.

That has been one of the main reason why this lost fleet of 16 treasure galleons which dissapeared probably on the reefs of Silver Bank in November 1643 interest me so much. How is it possible that Phips did not know about them? They sunk only two years after the disaster of "Concepcion"? "Nuestra señora de la Concepcion " sunk in Silver Bank in 1641, not in 1659.

Regards

Lobo

How time flies. Did you ever find out about the 1643 fleet/

bob

 

[Vox veritas]

Hi Lobo,
from which the information of these possible losses?
Regards VV