Urca de Lima

Urca de Lima, originally the Santísima Trinidad, was a Dutch-built Spanish cargo ship that sailed with the 1715 treasure fleet after years of delay in New Spain. Unlike many vessels carrying bullion, she mainly transported goods such as cowhides, chocolate, sassafras, incense, and vanilla. After a hurricane devastated the fleet off Florida, the ship grounded near present-day Fort Pierce with her hull intact, allowing much of her cargo to be salvaged and used to support survivors. Burned afterward to hide the wreck, the site later became an important archaeological preserve that illuminates Spanish colonial trade, the fleet disaster, and early salvage on Florida’s coast.

St. Lucie Village, Florida · United States