| The vast amounts of natural resources
discovered in the New World inspired envy among Spain’s
European rivals, especially France and England. Spanish
shipments of silver ( plata ), gold, gems, spices, and
other exotic goods soon became prey for pirates and
corsairs intent on stealing their share. To counter
this threat, Spain developed a formal convoy system
as early as 1537 to protect its merchant vessels from
predators. At least two armed escorts, a capitana or
flagship sailing at the front of the fleet and an almiranta
or vice-flagship in the rear, accompanied the heavily
laden ships across the Atlantic. Additional armed galleons
often protected large fleets. To pay for this protection,
merchants whose cargos were carried in the fleet paid
a tax on their goods to the Spanish Crown. Over the
years, the tax increased from 2 percent in the sixteenth
century to 12 percent by the seventeenth century, a
reflection of the increasing difficulty of protecting
the ships.
Each year, two separate fleets left Spain loaded with
European goods that were in great demand in the Spanish-American
colonies. Sailing together down the coast of Africa,
the fleets stopped at the Canary Islands for provisions
before the long voyage across the Atlantic. Once they
reached the Caribbean, the fleets separated. The New
Spain fleet, or flota, sailed to Veracruz in Mexico
to take on silver and other goods, as well as porcelain
shipped from China on the Manila galleons and brought
overland from Acapulco by mule train. The Tierra Firme
fleet, or galeones, made for Cartagena to take on South
American products. Some ships were sent to Portobello
in Panama to pick up Peruvian silver, while others went
to the island of Margarita to collect pearls harvested
from offshore oyster beds. Once loading was completed,
both fleets sailed for Havana, Cuba to rendezvous for
the journey back to Spain.
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Routes of Spanish Plate Fleets |
The ships leaving Havana were crammed full of New World
products. Gold and silver in coins and bars, property
of the king, were carried aboard the heavily armed escort
galleons. Personal wealth in coins and jewelry accompanied
passengers on the merchant ships, together with indigo
and cochineal dyes, exotic woods, ceramics, leather
goods, chocolate, vanilla, sassafras, tobacco, and products
made by the native peoples of the Americas.
The fleet faced many dangers as it slowly made its
way back to Spain. Uncharted reefs and shifting sandbars,
treacherous currents, wily pirates, and unexpected
storms all took their toll on the fleets. Wooden ships
also were victims of tropical shipworms that bored
through planks, making the vessels leaky and unseaworthy.
In many cases, the ships of the plate fleets were
old and nearing the end of their serviceable careers,
sent to the New World by owners hoping to complete
just one more profitable voyage. One of the greatest
fears was hurricanes. With no way to forecast the
storms or to predict their tracks, ships were completely
at the mercy of wind and waves.
Over the years of the fleet system, which lasted until
nearly 1800, Spain managed to transport enormous amounts
of goods and materials between Europe and the New
World. Some ships inevitably were wrecked along the
way and the Spanish developed effective salvage capabilities
to recover the valuable cargos. The remains of these
ships now provide us with exceptional opportunities
to study our maritime past, and offer divers and snorkelers
exciting underwater adventures.
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