Spanish cannon from 1715 Fleet recovered off Fort Pierce coast

Maureen Kenyon | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption 303-year-old cannon recovered from 1715 Spanish fleet A 303-year-old cannon from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet was recovered and brought to the surface of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018, at Fisherman's Wharf in Fort Pierce. The cannon will be restored, a process that takes about three years, and placed on display at Melody Lane Fishing Pier.

FORT PIERCE — Loud cheers and applause erupted from the crowd as a cannon — one that's been sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for more than 300 years — was lifted out of the water Monday at Fisherman's Wharf Marina.

The cannon, recovered from the Sandy Point shipwreck just north of Fort Pierce, is part of the Spanish Fleet that sank off the coast during a violent hurricane in 1715. The ships, carrying significant amounts of gold and silver coins along with jewels, were destined for the king and queen of Spain.

"It's a very cool piece," said Capt. John Brandon, operations manager for 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels LLC, a historic shipwreck salvage operation that owns the exclusive rights to the remains of the 1715 Fleet.

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Monday's cannon recovery is significant.

"(It) doesn't happen often," Brandon said. "The last cannon that was brought up from the 1715 Fleet was about 30, 35 years ago. ... This one might be the last one for several generations."

That's why members of the joint effort, including the city, the Keep Fort Pierce Beautiful Advisory Board and the Fort Pierce Lions Club, are ensuring the cannon is restored properly.

After it's put through reverse electrolysis at the city compound, the cannon will be placed on display along the seawall at the Melody Lane Fishing Pier plaza.

"Once we get it done, it'll be there long after we're gone," Brandon said.

The restoration process takes about three years.

There are three cannons from the 1715 Fleet on display at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and U.S. 1, Brandon said, but they're falling apart.

"Back then, they didn't know how to do the proper conservation and that kind of work, so this time, we're going to do it from the beginning, making sure it's conserved properly," he said.

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Art Schweizer, of Maritime Research and Recovery, said it took the team about three hours Monday morning to prepare the cannon for recovery, including taking underwater photographs. Then, two divers attached an airbag to the cannon, which was nestled about 12 feet below the surface.

Schweizer said divers were ready to chisel the cannon off the ocean floor, but the airbag was so strong, it easily lifted the cannon from the bottom.

"Then it was a matter of getting it adjusted and then towed behind the boat," he said.

It was about a 2½-hour voyage to Fisherman's Wharf.

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Once at the wharf, a diver wrapped a chain around the cannon and a crane slowly lifted it from the water.

It took less than 1 minute for the cannon, which was covered in mud, spongy material and calcium, to break the surface. Cheers erupted from the small crowd that gathered behind 12A Buoy.

Historian Lucille Rights, author of "A Portrait of St. Lucie County, Florida," watched the crane lift the 303-year-old cannon from the water.

"This is great," said Rights, who's also a volunteer at the St. Lucie County Historical Society. "Now we have something in Fort Pierce that shows we're a part of the Treasure Coast, and hopefully, it will get people more interested in history."

Maureen Kenyon is TCPalm's trends reporter, keeping Treasure Coast residents updated on hot topics and happenings. Do you have a story to tell? Want to start a conversation? Send an email to maureen.kenyon@tcpalm.com, call 772-221-4249 or follow her on Twitter @_MaureenKenyon_.