THE LOST TREASURE OF THE LA MADALENA

[Rustys Mate]

I have been trying to research this vessel without much luck. Does anyone have any information they care to share?

Where is the lost treasure of the La Madalena?

A 250-ton Spanish galleon by the name of La Madalena commanded by Captain Cristobel Rodriquez was headed back to Spain after visiting Vercruz, Mexico and Havana in 1563. A bad storm tossed the small boat around and finally sank the galleon. There were 300 people aboard and only 16 survived the storm.

At the time when the storm hit, she was carrying over 50 tons of silver in bullion and coins, 1,110 pounds of gold in jewelry and small ingots, 170 boxes of silver objects such as candle sticks, and many other valuables that belonged to passengers.

Finding the La Madalena has been a mystery for years. Using the most sophisticated equipment such as the magnetometer, which can only detect ferrous metals, has not been able to find the exact location since her cannons were made of bronze and the equipment cannot locate this type of metal. The bronze cannons themselves on today’s market alone would be worth somewhere around $30,000. The total count of these bronze cannons aboard the ship was 28.

Shrimp fishermen have been lucky in the area and have recovered one bronze cannons that was sold to a private collector for $15,000, another bronze cannon was found in close proximity but was dated after the decades after the ill-fated La Madalena. A chest of 3,000 Spanish four and eight real coins was discovered by another shrimp fisherman in his shrimp net. The coins were dated between 1748 and 1751.

Somewhere in this shrimp fishing area lies the treasure of the La Madalena.

Grateful to any info,
Little Mate

[Chagy]

Where did the fisherman found the cannon and coins?

Chagy....

[Rusty Sailor]

We believe it is off the South East Coast of Florida. Old Man told me he new of a shrimp fisherman that was bringing stuff up in his nets. I am trying to find out if it is the same vessel.

[mad4wrecks]

Credit Bob Marx for that information.

[buscadero]

Rusty: It seems to me that I remember hearing that it sank in the Fl. Keys somewhere! Thats all I know!

HH Joe

[Rustys Mate]

gdaddy, I don't know Bob Marx. I got that info off of google as I am curious about that ship. If you know more, please share.
Thanks
Rustys Mate

[aquanut]

I don't think this is any help, but I heard that about twenty years ago both a bronze cannon and a conglomerate of coins was pulled up in a shrimper's net east of cape canaveral.
Aquanut

[G.I.B.]

The La Madalena, on September 9th, 1589, went down in a hurricane near the mouth of the Bahama Channel, north of present day Miami. The ship carried more than 1,250,000 pesos (and, it is estimated, an equal amount of contraband). She sounds like she went down deep deep deep...

[Rusty Sailor]

I believe Bob Marx gets credit for the spanish galleon "La Magdelina" with a G. That went down off the coast of Jama Equador. That is quite a find, more treasure than the Atocha. My Mate and I are looking for info on a vessel that has not yet been found.
And, yes, I believe that is the one....deep deep deep is the story I am told. My Mate is quite a history Buff and she gets something in her head, there is no stopping her.

[buscadero]

If it's the right one, the Full Name was Santa Maria La Madalena! 8) in 1563!!!!!!!

[Peg Leg]

There IS a shipwreck off the East coast not far from the Space Center. On some old Florida maps has it listed as a HISTORIC WRECK site. (IT DOES NOT SHOW YUP ON ANY MODERN MAPS.)Not more than 6 months ago a friend brought me a piece of metal encrusted with cemented coral. I have been told that it is about 300 to 400 years old. The metal strip is very thin-in fact there are 2 metal strips laying against one another. The strips are over 6" long x 2" wide and are less than 1/8" thick. It was picked up off the beach and was in direct line with the ship wreck. I have it on my Entertainment Center.
PEG LEG

[FISHEYE]

some large gold ingots were found by some shrimpers off daytona.the owners sons came into a friends scuba shop wanting to learn trimix.so that tells me the wreck is in 100 or more feet of water.

[Rustys Mate]

Thank-you to everyone. Every bit of info is important to me. It's a personal quest.

[wreckdiver1715]

There are many old shipwrecks off the coast of Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately, many of them are within the marine sanctuary, and off limits.

Tom

[ScubaDude]

What sanctuary are you referring to? The security zone?

[Rustys Mate]

I'm pretty sure the shrimp fisherman were off the south east coast in deep water.
I will keep searching.
Thanks

[Land-Sea]

What is considered "deep, deep, deep?" Are we talking Central America Deep, or less, or more?? Is this in international waters?

[Rustys Mate]

Rusty heard it was 100 ft. or more deep. But, I am not so sure about that.
How deep do shrimp fisherman cast their nets down?

[badbrains]

100ft is not 'deep deep deep'. I know skin divers in Puerto Rico who do that.

[Land-Sea]

Okay, Thanks. When someone said deep deep deep I was hoping it wasn't in the 2000+ meter range which would really put recovery costs up there.

There is very little on the internet mentioning this ship and what there is seems repetitive except for the occassional error in copying it. Pickford puts this ship up near Bermuda which must be an error??