wreck

From Greta Cross - USA Today

Glass bottles over 300 years old have been retrieved from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Divers discovered two well-preserved onion glass bottles from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Indian River County in Florida in 2021 and 2022.

While the exact ship has yet to be identified, the vessel was a part of the 1715 Treasure Fleet, Mark Ard, Florida Department of State director of external affairs, told USA TODAY.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Spanish Plate Fleets traveled back and forth from Spain to the Americas, transporting treasures from the New World. The 1715 Treasure Fleet was one in particular that did not make the return home.

In July 1715, 11 Spanish fleet ships were destroyed in a hurricane off the Florida coast, according to the National Park Service. The ships were full of "silver, gold, gemstones, tobacco, exotic spices and indigo."

For about 200 years, the ships remained untouched in the Atlantic Ocean. Today, however, they are protected as part of the Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves.

The recently-discovered onion glass bottles represent a rare collection of well-preserved artifacts from the fleet.

"These bottles are very fragile, and for them to survive the destruction of the shop and then being submerged under water for (more than) 300 years where they were subject to tidal forces is incredible," Ard said.

Though the bottles were empty upon recovery, Ard said they likely contained an alcoholic spirit. The thin-glass bottles were probably made in England, Ard added, as the Spanish did not make their own glass.

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