Expedition Unknown | Sunken Treasure

In 1715 as the costly war of succession ends, Spain is in dire financial straits, so King Philip V gathers a fleet to transport more than a billion dollars worth of treasure from the new world back to Spain. One group of ships begins in Veracruz, a second sets sail from Cartagena; together they're laden with the gold, silver and jewels, plundered from Spain's colonial territory. The two fleets sail to Havana and join forces in May of 1715, taking on even more riches before setting off for Spain. But 7 days later, a violent hurricane destroys 11 of the 12 ships off the coast of Florida, killing over a thousand sailors and scattering the treasure across the ocean floor. Despite a three year salvaging effort by the Spanish, only 6 of the ships were found, and only half of the fortune was recovered, leaving millions available for modern day treasure hunters to find.