De Luna shipwreck rising from the deep
- On 01/07/2009
- In Underwater Archeology
- 0 comments
From Rebekah Allen - Pnj
These are just a few of the items that have been recovered from a 450-year-old shipwreck sitting under 12 feet of water in Pensacola Bay.
The wreck, designated Emanuel Point II, is part of the fleet commanded by Pensacola's founder, Don Tristan de Luna, University of West Florida archaeologists said.
The underwater excavation is being conducted this summer by about 20 UWF maritime archaeology students.
"This helps us get a better understanding of the people who came here to start a colony — what they brought and what they ate," said John Bratten, anthropology and archaeology department chair. "It also helps fill in the gaps that the historical record doesn't tell us."
The vessel was located in 2006 and identified in 2007 as part of Luna's colonization fleet that made landfall in 1559.
The first ship was discovered in 1992 just a quarter-mile from the original site.
Add a comment