AH-WR-0948

Nuestra Señora de Belem y San Juan Bautista

Merchant Ship · Spain · Lost 1733 · The Florida Keys

A merchant nao of the 1733 Spanish fleet known as Tres Puentes, grounded near Upper Matecumbe Key with all hands saved and most treasure recovered.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 wreck known as Tres Puentes, for her three decks, is believed to be one of two candidate ships from the 1733 New Spain flota: Nuestra Señora de Belem y San Juan Bautista or Nuestra Señora de los Dolores y Santa Isabel. Carried through the reefs by the July hurricane, she grounded near Upper Matecumbe Key with her decks awash. Everyone aboard survived, and Spanish salvors recovered most of the valuable cargo before burning the hull to the waterline.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 212
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Francisco Lebrum

Loss

Date: July 15, 1733
Cause: Storm
Location: Seaward edge of Hawk Channel near Matecumbe El Grande (Upper Matecumbe Key)
Water: Atlantic Ocean, Hawk Channel
Voyage: Veracruz, New Spain (via Havana) → Cádiz, Spain
Cargo: Registered silver, brazilwood, cochineal, indigo, sugar, tobacco, hides, citrus
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Diego de la Corte y Andrade (if identified as Nuestra Señora de Belem y San Juan Bautista)

The Wreck Today

Depth: 15 ft
Condition: Small, partially buried ballast mound in a sandy, sea-grass-covered area, slowly sinking into the seabed
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Position

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

The Florida Heritage galleon trail page quotes 24° 53.612'N 80° 35.012'W; treated as unconfirmed here pending an authoritative survey source.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (58/100)

The Florida Division of Historical Resources notes the wreck may be either of two candidate vessels, so her precise identity, tonnage, and captain are not conclusively established.

Florida Division of Historical Resources, 1733 Spanish Galleon Trail
Loss narrative, candidate identities, cargo, site description.