It’s obvious that Pensacola has a rich and unique history. Once occupied by the Spanish, French, British, and Confederates, remnants of the city’s past can be seen all over the region, from museums to archive labs. But much of this history still lies beneath the depths of our emerald waters.
While Pensacola is home to the USS Oriskany, a retired aircraft carrier that serves as the largest artificial reef in the world, the region is also home to over 20 known historic shipwrecks, some of which date back to the 1500s. These vessels are primarily located in the Pensacola Bay, Blackwater River, and surrounding areas.
“I think [these shipwrecks] speak to the richness of Pensacola's history, its maritime heritage, our cross-cultural history, our industry, and many other aspects of Pensacola history,” said Gregory Cook, associate professor of Maritime Archaeology at the University of West Florida.
The oldest known shipwrecks in the state of Florida are located in the Pensacola Bay. In 1559, Spanish explorer Tristan de Luna came to Pensacola on a colonization expedition. Soon after his arrival, a hurricane hit destroying most of his fleet. Three of the original ships from the fleet have been discovered.
“Along with the sites themselves, the range of artifacts found include stone cannonballs, lots of pottery fragments, remains of food eaten onboard, and even the remains of rats and insects which provide insights into what life was like on these vessels,” Cook said. “We even found the remains of a cat, likely kept onboard due to the rat problem that was prevalent on any vessel during this period.”
Of the artifacts recovered from the Luna shipwrecks, one that stands out to archaeologists are Aztec ceramic remains from Mexico. According to historic documents, the Luna expedition included several hundred Aztec warriors and artisans along with Spanish sailors.
“The artifacts and hull design indicate these are 16th-century shipwrecks, and the Aztec artifacts pretty much nail the identity to the Luna expedition,” Cook said. “There is no evidence in the historical record that other vessels from this time period sank in the Pensacola Bay, and the odds that other random vessels having Mexican native groups onboard and sinking in the bay leaving no records or court cases is pretty far fetched.”
One thing that sets the Luna site apart from other shipwrecks in the region is that this is the only site where there is both terrestrial settlement on land and multiple shipwrecks associated with the expedition just offshore. State archaeologists found the first shipwreck of the Luna expedition in the 1990s, while UWF found two others in 2006 and 2016. All were found using magnetometer technology, which detects abnormalities in the magnetic field caused by iron objects.
“Ship plans do not really exist before the 18th and 19th century, so these early vessels from 1559 have little documentation regarding how they were constructed, or what life was like onboard,” Cook said. “Archaeology is really the only way to learn more about seafaring at this time, and there are relatively few other vessels from this time period, so to have access to multiple 16th-century Spanish vessels in our own backyard of Pensacola Bay is amazing.”
During a search for more of the Luna wreck, researchers at UWF also found what is believed to be a 19th-century brick carrier. Although they are unsure of the ship’s name or origins, the wreck is an anomaly that looks somewhat similar to wrecks found at the Luna site.
“There are areas along Scenic Highway where they had brick manufacturing, which was a big thing in Pensacola with the good clay we have,” Cook said.
Similarly, the 19th-century saw a boom in the timber industry on the Gulf Coast. Norwegian vessels in particular came to Pensacola to purchase lumber as well as other goods. While entering Pensacola Pass during a storm, the Catherine ran aground a sandbar 300 yards from shore. The wreck would later be discovered by recreational divers.
“What they saw sticking out of the sand was brass in the shape of a dolphin,” said Nicole Grinnan, interim executive director and public archaeologist for the Florida Public Archaeology Network. “The divers got in touch with [UWF] and the local land manager, and lo and behold what they had actually found was the very bottom of a brass ship binnacle that stands at about three and a half feet.”
The binnacle, which is where the compass of the ship was held, later uncovered an entire shipwreck that was buried beneath the sand. The artifacts recovered from this site are now on view at the Archaeology Institute at UWF and the Destination Archaeology Resource Center in downtown Pensacola.
While teaching an archaeological survey class, students of Dr. Cook discovered the remains of a sidewheel steamer in the Blackwater River. Later identified as the Columbia, the ship sank in 1911 as the result of a fire.
“I was on one boat with a magnetometer, we had another boat out there with a side-scan sonar, and I heard students on the other boat laughing,” Cook said. “They sent me a picture on their cellphone of the computer screen and it was obvious they had found a historic shipwreck.”
Although some people may associate shipwrecks with abandoned treasure or jewels, in truth, the majority of shipwrecks lack anything of monetary value. For fear of potential looting or destruction, the locations of most local shipwrecks have not been disclosed.
“Some divers assume that every shipwreck has gold on it, but the reality is that these are similar to abandoned junkyards,” Cook said. “You wouldn’t expect to find money in an old car in a junkyard, and that’s what we have here with a lot of these wrecks. Most of the things we find do not have monetary value, but they’re great for archaeology. ”
For more information about the University of West Florida’s Department of Anthropology, click here.
