AH-WR-1064

Douglass Beach Wreck

Galleon · Spain · Lost 1715 · Florida's Atlantic Coast

A gold-rich 1715 treasure fleet wreck off Fort Pierce, long called the "Gold Wreck," whose ship identity researchers have recently revised.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The Douglass Beach Wreck, also called the Colored Beach or Gold Wreck, is one of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet vessels lost in the hurricane of 31 July 1715, its remains lying a few miles south of Fort Pierce Inlet off Hutchinson Island. Salvors recovered thousands of gold coins from the site in the 1964 season alone, and recovery continues today. Long identified as the patache Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, archival research published in 2021 argues the wreck is more likely the fragatilla Santa Rita y las Ánimas. The marine site also overlies an unrelated ancient terrestrial deposit containing Ice Age fossils.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Spanish Crown

Loss

Date: July 31, 1715
Cause: Storm
Location: A few miles south of Fort Pierce Inlet, Florida
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Havana, Cuba → Cádiz, Spain
Cargo: Spanish colonial gold coins; some 3,376 gold coins recovered in the first two months of the 1964 salvage season alone
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Fleet-wide, an estimated 700-1,000 lives were lost among the eleven wrecked ships; ship-specific figures are not established.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 20
Condition: Site includes a well-preserved marine-inundated cultural deposit lying in no more than about 6 meters of water.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Early 1960s
Protection: Within Florida's state-administered 1715 Fleet salvage lease system.

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Fort Pierce, Florida
Region: Florida's Atlantic Coast

No published decimal coordinates found; site is described as offshore of Hutchinson Island, a few miles south of Fort Pierce Inlet.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (48/100)

The wreck's specific ship identity is disputed: long attributed to the Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, more recent archival research favors the Santa Rita y las Ánimas.

Wikipedia
Site description, dual cultural/natural formation, depth.
1715 Fleet Society
Location, alternate names, 1964 gold coin recovery, disputed identity.
1715 Fleet Society (Jorge A. Proctor research article)
Revised identification argument favoring the Santa Rita y las Ánimas.
Treasure Coast Newspapers / news-press.com
2025 gold coin finds at the site by Queens Jewels salvors.