San Andrés

Luna’s expedition met in the port of Veracruz, San Juan de Ulúa, in April and May 1559. Eleven ships were loaded with corn, cookies, bacon, dried meat, cheese, oil, vinegar, wine and livestock, as well as weapons, armor and building and farming tools.

The armada sailed from Florida on June 11, carrying 540 soldiers, 200 horsemen, 240 horses and more than 1,000 settlers, including women and children, black servants, Aztecs and Tlaxcalans.

Luna and his people embarked with some knowledge of where they were going and what they were going to do. For 17 days the ships sailed in good weather. On June 28, they were near the Espiritu Santo River. From there the ships sailed southwest of Scorpion Reef, in the Yucatán Penísula. They sailed for 8 days in good weather and sighted land on July 12, Cape St. George or Cape St. Blas. (…) on Monday, during the night of September 19, a fierce storm came from the north and blew for 24 hours, causing irreparable damage to the ships of the fleet.

Many sailors and passengers died. The location could be that of the so-called Emannuel Point Ship I or Emanuel Ship II.

Read the full story in “10 notable shipwrecks”