El Gallo Indiano

On Friday, July 13, 1733, the Nueva España Fleet, under the command of General Rodrigo de Torres, left the port of Havana bound for Spain. The fleet consisted of 4 escort galleons, 16 merchant ships and 2 small ships that transported supplies to the Presidio St. Augustine.

The Gallo Indiano, the almiranta, armed with 60 guns and owned by the king of Spain, sailed at the rear of the convoy. She transported hundreds of boxes of silver coins and hundreds of copper ingots for the king, cochineal, indigo, vanilla, and ceramics. Most of the cargo was recovered after the accident. A 140-feet long, 100-feet wide large pile of ballast stones mark the site of the galleon. In the central part of the ballast mound, the remains of the keel can still be seen. There must surely be more remains of the ship’s hull. It can be visited.

Read the full story in “10 notable shipwrecks”