Scuba Geek

Navy discovers centuries-old Spanish ship buried in sand June 13, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , trackback

No sooner has Pensacola become the destination with the largest artificial reef in the world, the American Navy find a 16th century Spanish ship buried near the Pensacola Naval Air Station. This news is perhaps not so useful for divers though, as the ship is buried on land! It was found whilst construction workers were rebuilding the swim rescue school, which had been destroyed during Hurrican Ivan in 2004.

From the Albuquerque National;

“There are Spanish shipwrecks in Pensacola Bay,” Benchley said. “We have worked on two - one from 1559 and another from 1705. But no one has found one buried on land. This was quite a surprise to everybody.”

During initial work to determine the ship’s origin, archaeologists found ceramic tiles, ropes and pieces of olive jars. The settlement was founded in 1559; its exact location is a mystery. The Spanish did not return until more than a century later in 1698 at Presidio Santa Maria de Galve, now the site of the naval station.

So what about the swim center? Well, the navy plans to move the construction of the Swim Rescue center and enclose the exposed part of the ship.