How come there is never any talk about the Dry Tortugas?

[DennisB]

Is it because it is a park and you can't pull permits? Is it because there is no fresh water? I was just wondering because there are sunken ships all around them islands.


Dennis

 

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[cornelis 816]

You bet ye Dennis . For a stroke of luck ( if you mat call it that way ) the Atocha stranded at the Marquesas keys . Look at Padre Island . A lot of ships stranded there . There is very little known about the ships that sailed along the Gulf of Mexico's coast . Ships from Cartagena and other Spanish possessions on the coast of Central America bringing silver and gold to Havanna . There must be quite a few ships that never made it to Havanna . They stranded somewhere along this coast never to be heard of . Some ships were thrown against the lower keys as well as being thrown past the keys onto the West coast of Florida . If they were wrecked in this area there would hardly be a possibility for the surfivors to reach the inhabited places on the East coast of Florida . Indians may have been in their way of making it . I bett there are quite a few ships still on the coast of West Florida , never to be looked for since they were not known like the 1715 fleet . Just my idea . Somebody ( if not me ) should investigate these possible wrecks . It will take quite some time because nothing is known about these wrecks . But .......they are there somewhere . Cornelius

 

[fladiverdown]

Not sure about the Totugas but any where in Florida it is really tough to get any permit beyond a permit to explore. Cornelius is right about the amount of treasure sitting in the gulf. The water is very shallow for many miles west away from the Florida coast. There are many rivers and small bays that would have been inviting for a ship in trouble. But wreck offshore and the trip to terra firma would of been a challenge after ones ship went down. There are most likely no accounts from survivors as the west coast of Florida was extremely inhospitable back in the day. From the natives to the animals and bugs I can't imagine what it would have been like. If I had the funding that is a place that would be top on my list to pursue.

Black Bart

 

[DennisB]

what/ west of the bahamas or the tortugas? Thanks Cornelis.. good info...I think I will start researching that route.

Dennis

 

[wwwtimmcp]

dry tortugas is a national wildlife sanctuary. I wanted to run a liveaboard dive boat there at one time but money got in the way. supposedly there is a deep water wreck near there but I have not heard alot about what is in it. the wreck was outside the sanctuary.

 

[DennisB]

Thanks www!


Dennis

 

[Bum Luck]

Just a guess, but it is a long ways out.

It's a pain to get there, and so hard to do anything.

 

[capt dom]

STRAIGHT NO BULL SHORT ANSWER...

The SMART ONES involved in undersea exploration
are learning to keep their mouths shut!

When you are honest or your ego {and mine} gets you talking about
your passion all the little pee - ants out there draw a target on
your back... and pretty soon guys like us
end up spending more time
on these blogging sites
than actually
exploring!

 

[DennisB]

Hi Dom,
Thanks for your honest opinion about this matter. In you humblest way of saying it...do you think it would be worth the study and then the operation of putting together an expedition? Just running it by.

Dennis

 

[DennisB]

also is a 48ft searay big enough for those waters?


Dennis

 

[OldGold74]

Sea Hawk did well found one vessel deep water off Tortugas Dave Moore was archy on board, nice artifacts, olive jars gold finger bars, coins, deep water in excess of 1000 feet if i recall. Good luck need deep pockets but where there is a will there is a way Dennis your names not really Will is it?,,,

 

[comfortably numb]

also is a 48ft searay big enough for those waters?


Dennis

That would depend entirely on what Mother Nature feels like at that time.

 

[Salvor6]

Dennis a 48' Searay is plenty big enough for the Gulf. You can dive the Gulf of Mexico year round if there is no storm. Also, Seahawk Deep Ocean Technology (SDOT) found an "advisio" ship from the 1622 fleet when Greg Stemm and John Morris (now with Odyssey) were the chiefs.

 

[DennisB]

Thanks guys. This is getting very interesting to me. Don't know why except the study and research I am going to have to put in. And no my name is not will, it is really Dennis. lololol!


Dennis

 

[LM]

I bett there are quite a few ships still on the coast of West Florida , never to be looked for since they were not known like the 1715 fleet . Just my idea . Somebody ( if not me ) should investigate these possible wrecks . It will take quite some time because nothing is known about these wrecks . But .......they are there somewhere . Cornelius

I own some property on an Island off Crystal River, on the west coast of Florida. Save for the well known channels (that weren't well-known back then), those waters out there are impossibly tricky- the inland waters are barely navigable by Jon Boats (some stretches are airboat only), the waters coming in from the gulf into the archipelago if islands would've been murder on something like curious Galleon. It's just so, so erratic out there. Islands turn into huge drop offs, which turn into shallows, sand-bars out of nowhere. I can't imagine large ships would've been seduced to travel in very far from the deeper gulfwaters- that part of the state doesn't have a 'coast', ala a beachhead, as much as it does a smattering of islands, both mangrove and solid.... Submerged ones, high and dry ones... The upper-central coast is quite 'special' in this regard and I'm sure an incoming Captain would've been able to see this and realize he wanted no part of it with a large ship, since there's nothing remotely resembling a portage there... Of course, I guess they wouldn't have much say in the matter in a big storm.

There's no doubt in my mind that survivors would've have lasted long, out there. Our property is on an island that's remote and sparsely inhabited- save for a few waterfront cabins, basically, much like it was in 1500. The bugs out there in summer will carry you away, plus the snakes, spiders, sharks, alligators once it gets brackish- back then, there probably would've been a lot of panthers, too... add hostile natives to the equation? Not someplace I'd like to be as a shipwreck survivor in 1704, or whatever, with nothing more than the tattered clothes on my back... Great place in a cabin with AC, airboat, citronella candles and an AR15 leaning against the wall, wouldn't be too fun without that stuff....

I think next time I'm out there, I'll punch out into the gulfwaters and see what's out there, talk to some of the captains around there about where the sandbars are, what would be tricky for large-vessel navigation, etc. I have a nautical chart of the area hanging on the wall- might start investing some thought into it.

 

[DennisB]

Thanks LS!

I am just interested in that area and I was wondering why nobody ever talked about it. I just had to bring it up. I am getting some charts of that area and then we will see from there. I know there has to be wrecks out there.

Dennis

 

[comfortably numb]

LS,
What island do you own property on? I live in crystal river, been here all my life. In fact, I still live on the same property my family settled in 1850. As for wrecks, yes there are plenty of them. As for talking to the captains, Good luck if your not a local. Nautical charts don't do much good, You have to have local knowledge.

Dennis,
Nobody talks about it, because Nobody talks about it.

 

[DennisB]

 

[LM]

LS,
What island do you own property on? I live in crystal river, been here all my life. In fact, I still live on the same property my family settled in 1850. As for wrecks, yes there are plenty of them. As for talking to the captains, Good luck if your not a local. Nautical charts don't do much good, You have to have local knowledge.

Dennis,
Nobody talks about it, because Nobody talks about it.

Numb: Sportsxmans, off Mud Creek, waterfront right next to Chuck C's place (I think his dock actually goes across my property, LOL ) - the one that was struck by the arsonist. They got the shack (probably the original surveyors cabin for the island) that was on my property, too... I'll refrain from any commentary on that whole situation, since I know the community is tight-knit and I won't want to inadvertently ruffle any feathers, but the story I got was pretty ugly.

I used to go out there pretty regularly- I can navigate in and out to my place without scraping bottom- but my home base was St. Augustine and I didn't know too many locals in the Citrus County outdoorsmen community, which I did get the distinct impression was quite insular, but I'm not too worried. Pretty good at figuring stuff out on my own .

We should probably talk... The next time I'm down, I'll need someone who wants to make a few bucks to drop me off out there and pick me up a few days later for some primitive camping and exploration on my island, since I won't have a boat down there this trip.

Also need to get things primed for the surveyors. I want to build on the property within the next year. I hear the county can be a real booger when it comes to fastidious code enforcement, so may as well get the ball rolling now; I get the feeling I may have to be prepared to pay lawyers to keep the building process oriented forward and not sidetracked by the capricious whims of cubicle-bureaucrats.

http://www.chronicleonline.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?071+article+News+20100730195053071071003

 

[comfortably numb]

Yea, your off the salt river between Ozello and Homosassa. I run out of crystal river, all deep water. I have a buddy with a jon boat that could get you into your place. There are a few blockade runners off the mouth of the homosassa river. another good place to detect would be tigertail island in homosassa, thats where the yulee plantation house was union soldiers burned it down. Just don't get caught there.