Jun 27 2008
Santa Margarita Chalice of Gold
On its fleet voyage back to Spain in September of 1622, the Santa Margarita was first run aground and then broken up into pieces before sinking to the depths of the Caribbean during a hurricane.
Instead of sending the remainder of the fleet on to Spain, a four year recovery was launched to recover the valuable cargo of silver, gold and pearls.
In more current years, the hunt for Santa Margarita’s booty was led by treasure hunter Mel Fisher who discovered its current site, only 20 miles off the coast of Key West, FL.
Just a few days ago a ship salvage diver found a piece of treasure from the lost ship in only 20 feet of water –an ornate gold chalice with two detailed scrolled handles. The estimated value is $1 million or more.
