Metal detector leads treasure hunters to 'exciting' discovery at legendary 17th-century shipwreck, Florida Keys
Treasure hunters exploring the wreck of the 17th‑century Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha off the Florida Keys have recovered a heavily encrusted 55‑pound copper ingot, detected after Captain Drake Nicholas picked up a faint signal while following a trail of coins. The Atocha, which sank in a 1622 hurricane while carrying gold, silver and emeralds, has been searched for decades by Mel Fisher’s team, who famously located the ship’s “Mother Lode” in 1985. Copper was a valuable resource in the 1600s, used for casting bronze cannons, and the crude ingot—likely poured into a sand pit—adds to recent finds, including a 22.5‑pound silver bar. Nicholas believes new technology and a cluster of promising deep targets suggest the crew may be closing in on a larger concentration of treasure.