AH-WR-0938

Nuestra Señora del Populo

Merchant Sailing Vessel · Spain · Lost 1733 · The Florida Keys

A Spanish treasure fleet vessel wrecked near Key Largo in the catastrophic 1733 hurricane that destroyed much of that year's plate fleet.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Nuestra Señora del Populo sailed as part of the 1733 Spanish plate fleet that departed Havana bound for Spain laden with silver and colonial goods. A hurricane struck the fleet shortly after departure, driving roughly twenty vessels onto the reefs of the Florida Keys, including this ship near Key Largo. Most crew and passengers survived and were rescued from the Keys by relief vessels from Havana. Spanish salvage crews recovered much of the fleet's cargo in the following years, and the wrecks remain a defining event in Florida Keys maritime history.

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 / Tierra Firme and New Spain treasure fleet

Loss

Date: July 15, 1733
Cause: Storm
Location: Reefs near Key Largo, Florida Keys
Water: Straits of Florida
Voyage: Havana, Cuba → Cádiz, Spain
Cargo: Silver specie and colonial trade goods
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Casualty figures for this individual vessel are not established in the sources reviewed; most of the fleet's crews and passengers survived and made it ashore
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Scattered ballast and debris consistent with other 1733 fleet wrecks; specific site condition not well documented
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Key Largo, Florida Keys
Region: The Florida Keys

General area near Key Largo reported historically; a precise published position specific to this vessel was not identified in the sources reviewed

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (45/100)

A specific, verified wreck site for this vessel distinct from the broader 1733 fleet debris field near Key Largo is not firmly established in the sources reviewed.

Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources
1733 fleet disaster history, vessel names, and loss locations
NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
General wreck area and protected status