Search for the Lost French Fleet of 1565

Mission Overview

During the late summer of 2014, a team of maritime archaeologists from the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, the research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, embarked on a mission to discover the lost French Fleet of 1565. They conducted surveys of a five-mile long stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, using geophysical instruments to identify potential shipwreck targets. Following analysis of the survey data, the archaeologists returned to the survey area to conduct diving operations in order to physically inspect identified targets, in hopes of locating and identifying the remains of one or more vessels from the French Fleet.