San José y Las Animas
Merchant Ship · Spain · Lost 1733 · The Florida Keys
A 326-ton merchant nao of the 1733 Spanish fleet, wrecked off Tavernier Key with no loss of life, later relocated by treasure hunters in 1968.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
San José y Las Animas, a New England-built merchant ship purchased into Spanish service, sailed in the vanguard of the 1733 New Spain flota. The July hurricane drove her aground off Tavernier Key, and though the hull flooded quickly, all aboard escaped on rafts. Much of her cargo went down with her and was not recovered until treasure hunters located the buried wreck in 1968.
Vessel
- 1728
- Not established
- New England
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- 326
- Sail
- Joseph del Duque
Loss
- July 15, 1733
- Storm
- Off Cayo Tavanos (Tavernier Key)
- Atlantic Ocean, Hawk Channel
- Havana, Cuba → Cádiz, Spain
- Porcelain, silver coin, general merchandise
- Not established
- 0
- Cristóbal Fernandez Franco
The Wreck Today
- 30 ft
- Buried ballast pile roughly 135 by 40 feet with cannons and a 25-foot rudder recorded nearby
- Not established
- 1968
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Tavernier, Florida
Sources describe the site as off Tavernier Key at 30-35 feet; a precise verified decimal position was not located for this record.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Full construction details and beam are not established in the sources reviewed.
Florida Division of Historical Resources, 1733 Spanish Galleon Trail
Loss narrative, cargo, casualties, rediscovery details.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places
NRHP listing confirming site name, county, and listing date.
