Dry Tortugas Wreck

The final voyage

The Tortugas wreck was part of the same 1622 Tierra Firme fleet disaster that claimed the Atocha and Santa Margarita. Historical and artifact research identifies the most probable candidate as the Buen Jesús y Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a 117-ton, Portuguese-built, Spanish-operated merchant vessel owned by Juan de la Torre and captained by Manuel Díaz, which had sailed for Nueva Córdoba (Cumaná) on Venezuela's Pearl Coast and was returning to Seville when the hurricane of 5–6 September 1622 struck. [3](https://www.shiplib.org/shipwrecks/dry_tortugas)

A shrimp trawler first snagged Spanish artifacts at the site in 1965, but its 405-metre depth made exploration impractical until Seahawk Deep Ocean Technology of Tampa relocated it in 1989 and, in 1990–1991, conducted 138 ROV dives recovering 16,903 objects — the world's first extensive robotic archaeological excavation of a deep-sea wreck. [2](https://www.oxbowbooks.com/9781782971481/oceans-odyssey-3-the-deep-sea-tortugas-shipwreck-straits-of-florida/)

What was aboard

The excavation's published artifact catalogue, not a surviving Spanish cargo register, is the basis for this list; the ship's full registered cargo has not been matched item-for-item to the archival record.

Bullion and coin: Gold bars and silver coins recovered among the excavated assemblage, now held by Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Pearls and gemstones: Pearls consistent with the ship's likely Pearl Coast lading at Nueva Córdoba (Cumaná).

Ceramics: Olive jars (botijas) and other Spanish colonial pottery types, extensively studied and published from this site.

Organic material: Tortoiseshell, cordage, seeds, and animal bone, unusually well preserved by the deep, cold, low-oxygen environment.

How to collect

Confirm Odyssey Marine custody: The excavated collection is owned by Odyssey Marine Exploration; material genuinely from this site should trace to that custody chain, including any documented sales.

Understand the identity is a scholarly attribution: Buen Jesús y Nuestra Señora del Rosario is the most probable identification based on artifact dating and archival research, not a certainty confirmed by a ship's marking.

Expect organic material to be scientifically significant, not merely decorative: Tortoiseshell, cordage, and similar finds are notable for preservation, not bulk; treat large offered quantities with skepticism.

Ask for the published catalogue reference: Given the detailed Oceans Odyssey 3 publication, a legitimate piece should be identifiable against that record.