XVIII century - the time of pirates, sailboats and legends of countless treasures. It was then that the thirst for gold pushed people to rob in the open sea, and it was in those distant years that a ship with the beautiful name “Urca de Lima” sailed across the sea …
The series "Black Sails"
Probably, before the release of the sensational series Black Sails, only historians specializing in 18th-century European colonies knew about the existence of a Spanish galleon called “Urca de Lima”. Everything turned upside down when the exciting plot of the film became known, where notorious pirates chased Spanish gold for a better life.
So was there really a galleon with treasures, the owner of which could become the richest man in the New World?
The true story of the Spanish galleon
It was the year 1715. Spain, financially drained by the inheritance war, needed money more than ever. Regular attacks by pirates prevented the unhindered transfer of gold and other valuables from the Spanish colonies of the New World.
But there was simply no other choice, and in the summer of 1715 a caravan of 12 ships under the command of General Juan Esteban de Ubilla left Havana. The holds of the ships were filled to capacity with gold, silver and colonial goods. The total value of the cargo, according to historical data, was about 14 million pesos.
The Spanish fleet has been slowly moving along the east coast of Florida for the fifth day, when suddenly a wind came from the southeast, the sea became uneasy, and experienced sailors who repeatedly sailed in these deceptive waters did not bode well. These were the first messengers of a powerful tropical storm, which in a few hours would send 11 of 12 Spanish ships to the bottom or smash into reefs, including the Urca de Lima galleon.
The only ship that spared the hurricane was the Griffin merchant ship. A few days after the disaster, he reached the coast of Cuba, and the sailors were able to talk about what happened. The rest found their last refuge near the coast of Florida, about a thousand people survived in that terrible storm.
