300-Year-Old Rare Onion Glass Bottles Found From Shipwreck Off Treasure Coast

More than 300-year-old onion glass bottles were found in a ship, part of the 1715 Treasure Fleet. The discovery was made in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Indian River County.

The onion glass bottles are rare artefacts from the 1715 Treasure Fleet which comprised ships that transported treasure, gold, silver and other precious items between Spain and the Americas.

In July 1715, 11 of these Spanish ships were destroyed in a hurricane off Florida. These ships were carrying gold, gemstones, tobacco, spices and indigo.

Though they remained untouched for two centuries, they are now protected as part of the Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves.

The bottles were found empty but seemed as if they had an alcoholic spirit and were made by the English since the Spanish did not make their glass.

Experts said that the bottles are delicate, and the fact that they survived underwater for three centuries when subjected to tidal forces is quite incredible.

They were found covered with shells, sand and other marine organisms along with delamination, the process when glass flakes separate from the surface, per the Florida Division of Historic Resources.

In the past few years, treasure hunters have found several artefacts from the 1715 treasure fleet. The ships of this fleet sunk off the three-county region comprising Martin, St.Lucie and Indian River counties.

Hunting for treasure or exploring the wreck is only allowed after one obtains a permit. Also, two movies were made about the 1715 Treasure Fleet.

One called The Lost Treasure Fleet of 1715 is a 2016 documentary following a treasure hunter and his team searching for a sunken ship while The Fool’s Gold released in 2008 is a comedy movie about a team looking for one of the sunken vessels.

References: AOL, TCPalm