San Nicolas 1551 off Vero Beach

[WaveJunky757]

Was bored and looking at those blue maps you find in gift shops etc and noticed this old one. Appears to be sandwiched between some 1715 wrecks. Any general info on it? How was it determined to be that wreck being so old. I know there are a TON of inaccuracies with those ‘maps’.

 

[Columbus]

Just found a reference to this wreck on page 207 of my copy of The Treasure Diver's Guide, by John S. Potter (1972 edition). According to Potter, the San Nicolás was a 220-ton nao, captained by a Juan Christoval. It was wrecked in 1551 on the coast of Aix, south of Cape Kennedy. The wreck itself was looted by the local Ais tribe though, so there's probably not much left in the way of valuables.

If you want a picture of the map by Potter, with the location of the wreck, send me a PM. Won't post it here because of copyright concerns.