The ship also carried copper, silverware, indigo, and personal possessions of officers, passengers, and crew, including medical tools, navigational instruments, gold coins, and precious jewelry.
[2] Captain Gaspar de Vargas initiated the first salvage attempt shortly after the wreck, employing pearl divers from the island of Margarita.
In 1624, Havana politician Francisco Melian obtained a royal salvage contract and utilized a diving bell to aid in the recovery efforts.
Despite some success, salvage operations were frequently interrupted by weather and Dutch sea forces, and eventually ceased, leaving much of the treasure buried in the Florida Straits.
[4] The team, which included historian Lyon, archaeologist/conservator James Sinclair, and Operations Manager Dan Porter, utilized modern technology and digitized old charts to locate significant deposits of treasure.