History
San José y Las Animas was a Spanish merchant ship built in England in 1728 that wrecked in the 1733 hurricane disaster off the Florida Keys while sailing with a fleet bound from Cuba to Spain. Armed with 26 guns and carrying silver, bullion, porcelain, brazilwood, cocoa, and vanilla, it ran aground and sank in shallow water, though all aboard survived. Rediscovered in 1968, the wreck became an important archaeological site and the center of a major legal battle over salvage rights, state protection of historic shipwrecks, and control of underwater cultural heritage in Florida. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Florida · United States
