On July 24, 1715, a fleet of eleven Spanish ships and one French ship departed Havana harbor bound for Cadiz, Spain under the command of Captain Juan Esteban de Ubila and don Antonio de Echeverez. On board these vessels were four years of accumulated treasure that was desperately needed by the Spanish treasury. On July 29, 1715, the first signs of a hurricane appeared, but despite every effort made by the crews to save their ships, on the 31st, the entire Spanish Fleet perished along Florida’s east coast.