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Treasure of the Spanish Plate Fleet, 1716

On July 31st, 1715 one of the wealthiest Treasure Fleets in history wrecked off the coast of Florida. Millions of Spanish coins, jewels, and other valuables littered the shallows. After months of Spanish recovery efforts a small fortune remained lightly guarded on the beach, open to anyone daring enough to steal it. In early 1716, a small group of pirates lead by Henry Jennings, Sam Bellamy, and Benjamin Hornigold raided the small Spanish garrison and made off with a haul equivalent to 10 years of wages for only a single nights 'work'. The wealth of this raid and the inspiration it provided for would-be pirates across the New World, kicked off the final stages of the Golden Age of Piracy.

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Uploaded on March 12, 2022