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History of the San Miguel Archangel

Early in 1660... 

Skip ahead  here for research information

 History of the find and Jupiter Wreck Inc.

In the Summer of 1987 . . .

A Habsburg King's Messenger Ship Laden with Spanish Colonial Treasures from The New World was "Lost in Time", Upon Florida's Shore at a Place, now called "Jupiter by the Sea".

Captain Dominic A. Addario
and the Intrepid Undersea Explorers of Jupiter Wreck Inc. are searching for the "mother lode" of this, "hither to", vessel, having met with its end upon our shores...

How do they recover artifacts from beneath the sea?


Own a Piece of History Here !

Dateline: Late in 1659
333 Years Ago - a generation before Jonathan Dickinson's landing in 1696, the original inhabitants of the Jupiter-Hobe Sound area experienced one of Florida's most significant and yet to be recorded contacts with Europeans on American soil. Up until this event the Spaniards, who held North Florida, were unable to subjugate or even subdue South Florida's Native American Population on this weather coast.

Current Research is suggesting the Jupiter Shipwreck and its survivors brought plague to Jupiter's shoreline. Without even a shot having been fired, this event within itself struck the fatal blow to South Florida's then Native American peoples.

The King at this time was Phillip the IV. He issued the Cedula of 1650, changing the style and striking of Spanish colonial period coinage. (Pillar and Wave variety in Peru). Our coin date range is between 1652 and 1659.

Sometime between November and the New Year of 1660, it is believed the ill-fated vessel wrecked while carrying a Kings share of Treasure for the years of 1658 and 1659. A special emissary under orders of the Viceroy of Peru with examples of new coinage being minted at Lima is believed to have been on board. He was on a mission to gain the King's approval for the viceroy having re-opened the lima mint. Some of these rare coins have been recovered. 
The find . . .  off the shores of 
Jupiter, Florida . . .
Two surfers fell off their surfboards one day and saw what they thought was a canon and reported it to a lifeguard. Two days latter while on his morning training swim, the lifeguard re-found the canon and contacted a Master Mariner and marina owner, Captain Dominic Addario, who had equipment capable of recovering the find. They agreed to form a joint venture to recover it.

Their initial goal was simple. They resolved to put the cannon at a museum about to open in Burt Reynolds Park sponsored by the Loxahatchee Historical Society. During those first three weeks, further discoveries were made. More cannons were identified, then . . . silver "Pieces of Eight".

Neither knew at the time, that the laws governing discoveries such as theirs were approaching a major change or that they could be an instrumental part in the formulation of rules that would affect the future rights of the private sector to participate in historic shipwreck research and recovery.

Captain Addario placed an Admiralty claim upon the unknown vessel in the U.S. Southern District Court on the 27th day of July, 1987. A bond was posted to the Court and Jupiter Wreck, Inc., a newly formed Florida Corporation, was subsequently named Federal Substitute Custodian of the wreck site.

More cannons and artifacts were discovered. Rare coins of silver and gold were found, then a 78 pound ingot of silver! The State of Florida stepped in to assume jurisdiction, claiming it was in the wreck's and public's best interest. The public didn't totally agree, neither did the Federal Courts. Jupiter Wreck's legitimate claim was upheld by the Federal Judge, but the State's rights were also recognized. The crew had to dig with their bare hands while all issues were pondered. For more information on the wreck, request  "The Jupiter Historic Shipwreck Exploration Transcripts"!

 

  Trace the Origins of the Coins Here

  Artifacts recovered to date Live Camera Updates