Florida

400-Year-Old Shipwrecks Found Off Florida Coast

The three ships contained a French coat of arms archaeologists call priceless

Divers off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, discovered three 400-year-old shipwrecks that they believe may have belonged to the French.

Divers with Global Marine Exploration believe the 16th to 17th century shipwreck debris fields are from three different French ships, and the contents include canons made of bronze and iron, anchors, and symbols of the fleur-de-lis and a French Coat of Arms archaeologists call priceless, NBC affiliate WESH reported.

One of the bronze cannon has markings linking it to the reign of Henry II and was likely cast in the 1540’s, according to GME chief archaeologist Jim Sinclair.

"The historical and archaeological significance of these artifacts cannot be overstated," he suggested. 

The monument appears to be hand carved marble, Sinclair said, and could have possibly been connected to the first French attempts at new world colonization, the Protestant Huguenots and the founding of Spanish Florida at St. Augustine.

The company, along with the Florida Department of Historic Resources and the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, are working to recover the artifacts and conserve them.

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