If anybody is interested. Look up the Padre Island shipwrecks. These ships were in route from Vera Cruz Mexico to Havana. After that they would make the trip back to Spain. Three of these four ships ran into a late winter cold front. The NE winds drove these ship ashore on Padre Island. One ship made it back to Havana.
The excavation of these shipwrecks yielded almost exactly what we recovered on our wreck. The rigging, iron fittings, silver splash discs, coins. Only difference was the silver discs recovered from the Padre Is. wrecks which had several different tax stamps. But everything else including the aboriginal mirrors. Everything we found was eerily similar to the Padre Is. wrecks. The mint marks on the coins same as ours. It was like these two ships were twins. Only difference was the silver splash discs.
Because I discovered this wreck I feel an obligation to knowing what ship I discovered. And we were working to accomplishing that feat when in the middle of a full scale excavation and an intensive research we were cut off by this government. With no contract came no funding. No funding became no more research. Just like that all aspects of this very important shipwreck came to a halt. The saddest part we left a very shallow water wreck site wide open to the local divers. Everyone in the town adjacent to our site knew we were finding valuable artifacts. With zero policing of this area it is still being plundered to this day.
I continue to research what ship we discovered. There was a new law by Spain to rectify these shipping issues. Because many ships were lost returning to Spain the king ordered a new law called the ordencia of 1552. This was to insure each ship had a qualified navigator, arms sufficient to defend its cargo against the French privateers, Anchors, no more overloading of ships with un essential personal so soldiers could fight off privateers. Many laws were put into place to protect these ships for the return trip to Spain. Some of these laws had new stamps placed on the precious metals. The kings stamp was to insure the taxes were paid, (averia) but now with the new ordencia of 1552 came new marks to show the purity of the silver, ownership marks, weight and whether it was the owner or a company shipping the precious metals. So after 1552 the silver carried multiple tax stamps. The Padre Is silver splash discs were covered with these marks. Not ours. Only the one tax stamp and one or two discs has the Shell of St, James. So our wreck was very similar of that of the Padre Is. Wreck s less the exception of all the owner and purity marks. So what does that tell you? That our wreck came before the Ordencia of 1552. But not much earlier because the mint marks on the coins. So then what treasure ships were lost before 1552 and no earlier than 1550?
In 1551 a terra firma fleet sailed into Peurto Plata to rendezvous with the fleet from Vera Cruz. From here they would fill the cargo holds of the ships heading back to Spain. The ships that carried the most weapon’s for defense carried the Kings treasure. Most all ships returning carried treasure but only a few ships were selected or qualified for carrying the king’s treasure. So these selected ships carried the bulk of the treasure while the rest carried cargo like sugar and cochineal wood and other sought after commodities. So the story goes after these ships left Puerto Plata they ran into a storm and were driven back 30 leagues. One of the treasure laden ships broke its rudder. It drifted ashore and was later almost completely salvage. The documents show that only the Kings treasure was recovered. And most historians believe there is still treasure on this wreck. The ship was the San Miguel. Even the Dominican government believes we discovered the San Miguel. But because we never found conclusive evidence like the name on a bell the company and our archaeologist have been very cautious to name the ship. But it fits. Personally I believe we discovered the San Miguel. Treasure hunters searching for the San Miguel will tell you "nope didn't happen". Why is because they want to be the discoverers, Our company doesn’t want it to be the San Miguel because it had been mostly salvaged. But what a discovery if it is. DBM within a few weeks of obtaining a contract discovers the San Miguel. It will be the San Miguel to me until someone can prove otherwise.
There are older wrecks discovered in the Americas but only the Padre Island wrecks and DBM's wreck are conclusively ships carrying the King's treasure back to Spain. Making our ship the oldest known treasure ship in this hemisphere. An absolute incredible discovery. And DBM should be able to complete the excavation of what we discovered.Once a contract is re-issued the funds return and so does the research. All the jealousy in the world will not change the fact that we/I discovered this wreck. And I will vehemently contest any bogus accusation to the end of my days that say we didn't. Go find your own wrecks. This one belongs to DBM. With over 17,000 photos of excavation and artifacts and site plans to prove it.
