Chest of Silver Found!

Veteran historic shipwreck salvor Mike Perna and his 1st Mate Milan Kalelkar recently made a very important find of worked silverware pieces at the site known as the Anchor Wreck (8IR46/S23). The find consisted of over 50 silver pieces including a number of silver candle stick holders, ornate silver arms from a possible silver candelabra, as well as several other very ornate silver pieces of as yet undetermined usage. (See attached photographs) The find represents one of the largest collections of such worked silverware ever found on the 1715 fleet wreck sites in modern times. While the find was made in the area known as the Anchor Wreck, there is a high degree of possibility these silver pieces represent scattered debris from the 1715 fleet wreck site known as Corrigan’s Wreck (8IR19/S25) which is located some 5.2 statute miles to the south of the Anchor Wreck area. It is not uncommon for historic shipwreck debris fields to be scattered over considerable distances. The most classic example of this is the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha sunk to the west of Key West, Florida and whose debris field can be archaeologically documented at well over 8 nautical miles. Congratulations to Mike and Milan on a truly spectacular find!!!

Some of the ornate silver pieces from the 1715 fleet found by Captain Mike Perna and 1st Mate Milan Kalelkar at the site known as the Anchor Wreck.

Captain Mike Perna with just recovered ornate silver piece.

Mike Perna and Milan Kalelkar with ornate silver pieces from the 1715 fleet.

Just recovered silver pieces including silver candle stick holders as well as a large silver piece depicting a mounted rider, among other motifs, and of as yet undetermined usage.