AH-WR-0370

HMS Winchester

Warship · Great Britain · Lost 1695 · The Florida Keys

A late 17th-century Royal Navy warship wrecked on a Florida Keys reef, among the earliest documented losses in the region.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

HMS Winchester was a Royal Navy fourth-rate ship of the line built in 1693. She wrecked on a reef in the Florida Keys in September 1695, one of the earliest documented shipwrecks of a warship in the region. Details of the loss, including casualties, are not well preserved in surviving records. The wreck's precise site has been the subject of later archaeological interest.

Vessel

Built: 1693
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Royal Navy

Loss

Date: September 24, 1695
Cause: Grounding
Location: Near Carysfort Reef, Florida Keys
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 25.20° N 80.23° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Carysfort Reef, Florida Keys
Region: The Florida Keys

A dive-site reference lists this waypoint about 1.5 miles southwest of Carysfort Reef Light for the HMS Winchester wreck, consistent with the general location given in historical accounts.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)

Exact wreck location, casualties, and detailed circumstances of loss are not firmly established in the sources reviewed.

National Park Service Submerged Resources Center
Historical loss record
DiveSpots.com HMS Winchester listing
wreck position