Emanuel Point shipwrecks

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The Emanuel Point shipwrecks are two underwater archaeological sites discovered in Pensacola Bay (near Emanuel Point) that are believed to be the remains of two 16th-century Spanish ships from the Luna expedition that sunk in the 1559 hurricane.

Emanuel Point I was discovered in 1992 by a Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research team.

Emanuel Point II was discovered about 1,320 feet from the first site. In summer 2006, funded by a $203,368 grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, a team from the UWF Division of Anthropology and Archaeology discovered a pile of ballast stones, which were later revealed to be covering a well-preserved wooden hull. It was confirmed to be one of Luna's 11-ship fleet in 2007.

Less than a dozen ships from this time period have ever been discovered. This is the oldest wreck found to date in the state of Florida and the second oldest in America.

Greg Cook, UWF archaeologist[1]

References

  1. "New Luna shipwreck confirmed after 450 years." Pensacola News Journal, October 12, 2007.