San Francisco

Nuestra Señora del Rosario San Francisco Javier y San Antonio de Padua, also called San Francisco de Asis or simply San Francisco, was built in England with a cargo capacity of 264 2/3 tons. Her owner was Don Cristóbal de Urquijo, who also owned another ship in the 1733 fleet, San Ignacio. Both ships were wrecked and Urquijo, sailing onboard San Ignacio, was drowned. Sailing at the rear of the fleet, San Francisco wrecked near Almiranta off Cayo de Vibora (Long Key). Although grounded in shallow water, documents indicate that her people were saved. Salvage divers recovered most of her registered silver, but other general cargo such as indigo and cochineal was lost.

Today the wreck of San Francisco is one of the most beautiful of the 1733s, due to its location in shallow water and the undisturbed nature of the ballast mound and its attending tropical ecosystem. The ballast mound is largely intact and is in nine feet of water on a sand bottom, with only six feet of water at the top of the ballast. The reef habitat supports species such as lobsters, triggerfish, tangs, surgeonfish, wrasses, grunts, damselfish, jellyfish, blennies, scorpionfish, groupers, sergeant-majors, hermit crabs, moray eels, conchs, and fire coral. A few sections of timbers are exposed, including part of the keelson. Because San Francisco is in shallow water, even novice snorkelers can enjoy the myriad of sea life that thrives on this large wrecksite.

Location: 24° 49.185'N 80° 45.425'W