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Florida's earliest shipwreck site was discovered in 1992 by a team from the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research during a survey of Pensacola Bay. Preliminary excavations were conducted in conjunction with the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board and the University of West Florida. The investigations determined that the lower hull of a Colonial Spanish ship, along with its contents, are in a surprising state of preservation. Thus far, over 3,000 artifacts, as well as the remains of plants and animals, have been studied; yet only 20% of the site has been explored. Analyses of these finds support the hypothesis that the ship was part of the expedition of Tristán de Luna who led the first attempt by Europeans to colonize Florida in 1559. Only a month after his fleet arrived in Pensacola, a hurricane destroyed most of the ships at anchor in the bay.
