"Tortugas" Project Overview

The deep-ocean site later identified as the "Tortugas" shipwreck first received attention in 1965 when shrimp fishermen working near the Dry Tortugas islands ensnared a large ceramic storage jar in their deep-water net. The jar was later identified as a colonial-era Spanish olive jar. However at the time, the depth of the water made exploration of the site impractical. At a depth of nearly 1,500 feet (457 meters) below the ocean surface, the "Tortugas" wreck was later discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration co-founders and deep-ocean shipwreck exploration pioneers, Greg Stemm and John Morris.

The "Tortugas" excavation would become the world's first deep-ocean remotely-operated archaeological excavation of a shipwreck site. Nearly 17,000 artifacts - some as small as seeds and pearls - were recovered from the site during the 1990-1991 excavation seasons. Research suggests the "Tortugas" wreck is likely the remains of the Nuestra Senora de la Consolacion, one of the Spanish vessels sailing with the 1622 Tierra Firme treasure fleet bound for Spain loaded with the wealth of the New World.