A local diver on the anchor of the Urca de Lima, a Spanish galleon lost in 1715 off Fort Pierce, Florida.
UPDATED: Read the 22 May 08 blog entry about this great event!
LAMP will be staging a training event for members of our volunteer dive team on May 19 and 20th, 2008, in conjunction with the Florida Public Archaeology Network‘s East Central and Southeast Regional Centers.


FPAN is hosting this event in order to get the public involved with archaeologists through a monitoring dive on the Urca de Lima Underwater Archaeology Preserve. They ran a similar event at the Georges Valentine wreck in April, which LAMP archaeologists Chuck Meide and Brendan Burke attended.
It was such a success that we decided to get more of our divers involved in the upcoming project. It can be challenging to train divers in the basics of underwater archaeology in St. Augustine, where the visibility is often very poor. The water is much clearer offshore Ft. Pierce, where the Urca de Lima is located. One of the goals of our First Coast Maritime Archaeology Project is to build a network of volunteer divers willing to help record and monitor historic shipwrecks in the waters around St. Augustine, America’s oldest port. Our objective for the Urca dives is to train members of our volunteer scientific diving team in the basic methods of underwater archaeology on an early 18th century shipwreck site located in relatively clear water. These skills can later be put to use in the darker, murkier waters around St. Augustine.

To download a copy of this flier with more information on this LAMP Training Event, click here:
Download file

You should also check out the FPAN flier for more information on this project by clicking here.
The Urca de Lima was a storeship or resfuerzo in the Spanish treasure fleet on route from the New World to Spain in 1715. A powerful hurricane raked the southern coasts of Florida, leading to the destruction of most of the fleet. Many of these wrecks have been looted by treasure hunters over the years, but this one is protected today by its status as a state Underwater Archaeology Preserve.
LAMP staff will be staying overnight in the local Fort Pierce Best Western (772-409-1740), and other participants may wish to stay here or to seek other lodging in the area.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there on Monday and Tuesday, May 12-20!
For those of you who can’t make it, stay tuned to the LAMPosts blog for more photos from this dive . . .