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The San Pedro, a 287-ton, Dutch-built ship was part of the New Spain flota (fleet) that left Havana for Spain on Friday, the 13th of July, 1733. Under the command of Don Rodrigo de Torres aboard the Capitana (flagship), El Rubi Segundo, the convoy consisted of three armed galleons and eighteen merchant ships laden with tanned hides, rare spices, precious jewels, silver and gold - all of which were needed for the economic survival of Spain. Two days out the fleet encountered a hurricane. Scattered some 80 miles along the Florida Keys, the New Spain flota had been swamped by the storm; only one lucky vessel safely returned to Havana.
A thorough salvage
of the ships was undertaken. Vessels that could not be refloated and towed
back to Havana were burned to the waterline so that divers could descend
into their holds and so that the wrecks would be concealed from freebooters.
The work continued for years, and locations of wrecks were charted on an
official map. When a final calculation of salvaged materials was made,
more gold and silver had been recovered than had been listed on the original
manifests, a result of inevitable contraband.
Today, the San Pedro is among the most picturesque of the 1733 wrecksites, due to her location in a white sand pocket surrounded by turtle grass and prolific marine life that inhabits her grave. A large pile of ballast stones, 90 feet long and 30 feet wide, contains flat, red ladrillo bricks from the ships galley. This site is one of Florida's oldest artificial reefs - host to a variety of sea creatures living amidst ballast stones and coral heads.
The San Pedro is located in 18 feet of water, approximately 1.25 nautical miles south from Indian Key at LORAN coordinates 14082.1, 43320.6. A laminated underwater guide to the San Pedro is distributed through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and is also available at local dive shops.
Indiana University's San Pedro page.
When visiting the San Pedro, please tie up to the mooring buoys to prevent anchor damage to the site. Shipwrecks and living coral are protected by law in Florida waters. Please help to preserve our underwater resources by not removing anything or disturbing the coral. Always display the "diver down" flag.
For local information, contact Long Key State Recreation Area at
(305) 644-4815.
Get a poster or to nominate a site.
Site location map of the San Pedro.
Return to the Preserves home page.
Ship paintings courtesy of William L. Trotter