Hypothesis: most West Florida hurricane shipwreck victims would been driven S to N

[Jolly Mon]

The vast majority of historic shipwrecks were caused by the vessel being driven into shoal water and bilged.

Most ships would survive a severe blow over open water. But if the prevailing storm winds drove them into shoal water, a wreck would ensue. (Duh, I know.)

Given the prevailing path of most gulf hurricanes and the anti-cyclonic flow of such storms, it would seem that, in Western Florida, at least, the majority of shipwreck victims should lie on West to East trending shoals in direct proximity to deep water to their south.

Thoughts?

 

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[Jason in Enid]

It would really depend on what part of the storm caught them. They could have made it into a harbor and had the storm skirt land with the winds driving them back west across shoals and out into deep water..... or the exact opposite could happen, or something north/south

 

[Salvor6]

Most of the shoals on the west coast run in a north/south direction. That is the ancient shore line from the last ice age. The only shoal that runs east to west that I can think of is Seahorse Reef off Cedar Key.

 

[ivan salis]

well the ships that would be of interest for the most part would be the pre 1750 coast hugging "dead reckoning" navigation homeward bound vessels that would be running from north florida to south florida towards cuba thru the keys area ---basically LOADED WITH TREASURE ...looking at how the hurricanes from oh 1600 thru 1750 ran path wise could help figger out their possible wreck sites and scatter patterns ==== wooden sailing ships running from the north to the south --- alongside north / south running reefs that run just offshore would be driven by the winds from any westward side storm into the (eastward side) reefs depending upon where the storm winds caught up with them

ps .....be sure to only check reefs that are at least 9 miles off of florida's west coast ..to avoid state permit / legal issues

 

[Jolly Mon]

It seems to follow that the vast majority of Florida Gulf Coast, hurricane induced shipwrecks should either lie on the panhandle or along the 3 fathom curve arching between Apalachee Bay and Crystal River

 

[Salvor6]

well the ships that would be of interest for the most part would be the pre 1750 coast hugging "dead reckoning" navigation homeward bound vessels that would be running from north florida to south florida towards cuba thru the keys area ---basically LOADED WITH TREASURE ...looking at how the hurricanes from oh 1600 thru 1750 ran path wise could help figger out their possible wreck sites and scatter patterns ==== wooden sailing ships running from the north to the south --- alongside north / south running reefs that run just offshore would be driven by the winds from any westward side storm into the (eastward side) reefs depending upon where the storm winds caught up with them

ps .....be sure to only check reefs that are at least 9 miles off of florida's west coast ..to avoid state permit / legal issues

Ivan you are exactly right. The pre 1750 fleets used "dead reckoning" method of navigation. Also Jolly Mon there are whole fleets that sank at the 3 fathom curve on the west coast. The problem is that there were no survivors to give clues to where they are at.

 

[Salvor6]

Cabeza de Vaca was the only survivor of a Spanish colonial shipwreck on the west coast of Florida. His life was spared because he entertained the chief of the Caloosa indians. He spent 8 years with the Caloosa until he was rescued and returned to Spain. His journal can be viewed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Álvar_Núñez_Cabeza_de_Vaca

 

[Jolly Mon]

Ivan you are exactly right. The pre 1750 fleets used "dead reckoning" method of navigation. Also Jolly Mon there are whole fleets that sank at the 3 fathom curve on the west coast. The problem is that there were no survivors to give clues to where they are at.

Well, if they were hurricane victims, they would almost certainly not be lying on North to South running shoals. That should narrow the search.

If struck over central and south west Florida, ships would generally have been driven out into the open gulf...starting around the latitude of Crystal River, however...

 

[ivan salis]

only "loaded" homeward bound treasure fleet vessels ( coming from mexico and south America )
using the coast hugging "dead reckoning" method of navigation --running along coast from the northern panhandle area headed south bound towards cuba pre 1750 would be of any major interest ... these vessels would be running along the coastline of western florida within visual range of the shoreline ..if caught by storms coming upon them from their western side (the gulf side) they would be pinned and pushed into the shallows and would either hit a reef or just bottom bounce in shallow water till the hull burst like a egg shell cracking