AH-WR-1061

San Miguel Arcángel

Aviso · Spain · Lost Late 1659 or early 1660 · Florida's Atlantic Coast

A 17th-century Spanish courier ship wrecked at Jupiter Inlet, discovered by a lifeguard's morning swim in 1987 and identified through Spanish archives.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 San Miguel Arcángel was a Spanish aviso, a fast dispatch vessel used to carry royal correspondence, passengers and valuables, that wrecked near Jupiter Inlet in late 1659 or early 1660, reportedly while attempting to enter the inlet during a storm. Thirty-three survivors were found stranded ashore. The wreck lay forgotten until 1987, when a lifeguard swimming off Jupiter Beach spotted an encrusted cannon in shallow water, leading to decades of licensed archaeological salvage that recovered thousands of silver coins, gold coins, and cannons.

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: Late 1659 or early 1660
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Jupiter Inlet, Florida
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Havana, Cuba → Spain
Cargo: Chests of silver and valuables believed connected to the estate of the Count of Salvatierra, former Viceroy of Peru
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Historical accounts report 33 survivors found stranded at Jupiter Inlet; total complement and deaths are not established.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 12 ft
Condition: Six cannons remain visible at the site; thousands of silver coins and about 100 gold coins have been recovered along with flatware, shot, and other artifacts.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1987
Protection: Site is marked with a Town of Jupiter historical marker; recovery has been conducted under Florida state archaeological permits.

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Jupiter Beach, Florida
Region: Florida's Atlantic Coast

General site is described as just south of the Jupiter Inlet jetty and public beach; no published decimal coordinates found.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

The vessel's construction details, complement, and exact date and circumstance of loss beyond "late 1659 or early 1660" are not established in the sources reviewed; identification of the site as this specific ship, while widely accepted locally, rests on archival research rather than a recovered nameplate.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum
Regional Spanish shipwreck context.
Jupiter Wreck Inc. (jupiterwreck.com)
Discovery narrative, date range, historical background.
Amelia Research & Recovery LLC
Identification as San Miguel Arcángel, survivor count, archival research on cargo.
Palm Beach Post
Discovery date, recovered artifact counts, site description.