TREASURES OF THE ATOCHA
Since I purchased a silver item from Mel Fisher years ago when he came to Kansas City, I have been fascinated by this ship and the ongoing discoveries that still are found. Never sailed on her :lol: But treasure ships are so interesting. We have a museum her in K.C. that includes all manner of ariticles from a sunken steamboat that was dug up.. It is like a time capsule of the era. Here is a link to the Atocha: When Christopher Columbus first set foot on an island which he thought was a part of the Indies, and hurried back to Spain to report the discovery, he sparked a land rush of unparalleled proportions. In less than a century, Spanish conquistadors and priests, driven by ambition, patriotism and religious fever, had conquered ancient civilizations, located gold and silver mines of untold wealth, and established important colonies throughout much of the Western Hemisphere. Thus was begun an era of power, conquest and piracy, all financed by the silver, gold and jewels which came to be known as the "Treasure of the Indies." Soon after Columbus' famous discovery in 1492, Spanish explorers began to settle the new lands. Columbus himself used the harbor at Portobello, Panama as early as 1502. Other expeditions founded Havana in 1515, established Panama City in 1519, and found Cartagena in 1533. Four more major cities, all of which had colonial mints, came into being with the Spanish capture of Mexico City in 1521, and the founding of Lima in 1535, Santa Fe de Bogota in 1538, and Potosi in 1545. http://www.atocha1622.com/Atocha%20Story.htm

Arabia Steamboat
This is about our museum in Kansas City. It is fascinating. The group that dug her up are now about to embark on another find. The Arabia was built in Brownsville, PA in 1853 by the Pringle Boatyards and soon gained a reputation for speed, safety and comfort. She traveled the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for a season before being sold, and in the spring of 1855 began serving communities along the Missouri River. The Arabia was a side-wheel steamer, carrying passengers and cargo on a regular route and schedule. At 171 feet long and capable of carrying 222 tons, she was a medium-sized boat. Her trade route took her well into present-day South Dakota, and on one trip she carried soldiers and 70 horses on her main deck. Against the Missouri's swift current, the giant 28-foot tall paddlewheels could push the steamboat upstream at 6 or 7 miles an hour. http://www.1856.com/story4.html

History of The Atocha (Click here to trace the Atocha and Tierra Firme Fleet's route) http://www.atocha.com/atocha_history.php On September 4, 1622 the Tierra Firme flota of twenty-eight ships left Havana bound for Spain. With it was carried the wealth of an empire; Silver from Peru and Mexico, gold and emeralds from Colombia, pearls from Venezuela. Each ship carried its crew, soldiers, passengers, and all the necessary materials and provisions for a successful voyage. The following day, the fleet found itself being overtaken by a hurricane as it entered the Florida straits. By the morning of September 6th, eight of these vessels lay broken on the ocean floor, scattered from the Marquesas Keys to the Dry Tortugas. In them were the treasures of the Americas, and the untold stories of scores of Spanish sailors, soldiers, noblemen, and clergy. Click here to view a map of the Caribbean The heavily armed Nuestra Señora de Atocha sailed as Almirante, or rear guard, of the flota, following the others to prevent an attack from behind the fleet. For additional protection, she bore the name of the holiest of shrines in Madrid. She had been built for the Crown in Havana in 1620 and was rated at 550 tons, with an overall length of 112 feet, a beam of 34 feet and a draft of 14 feet. She carried square-rigged fore and mainmasts, and a lateen-rigged mizzenmast. Atocha would have had the high sterncastle, low waist and high forecastle of a typical early 17th century galeón. She had made only one previous voyage to Spain, during which her mainmast was burst, and had to be replaced. For the 1622 return voyage, Atocha was loaded with a cargo that is, today, almost beyond belief -- 24 tons of silver bullion in 1038 ingots, 180,00 pesos of silver coins, 582 copper ingots, 125 gold bars and discs, 350 chests of indigo, 525 bales of tobacco, 20 bronze cannon and 1,200 pounds of worked silverware! To this can be added items being smuggled to avoid taxation, and unregistered jewelry and personal goods; all creating a treasure that could surely rival any other ever amassed. The Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank with 265 people onboard. Only five -- three sailors and two slaves -- survived by holding on to the stump of the mizzenmast, which was the only part of the wrecked galleon that remained above water. Rescuers tried to enter the drowned hulk, but found the hatches tightly battened. The water depth, at 55 feet, was to great to allow them to work to open her. They marked the site of her loss and moved on to rescue people and treasure from Santa Margarita and Nuestra Señora del Rosario, other ships also lost in the storm. On October 5th a second hurricane came through, and further destroyed the wreck of the Atocha. For the next 60 years, Spanish salvagers searched for the galleon, but they never found a trace. It seemed she was gone for good.