"A Failed Colony" and a newly discovered shipwreck

St. Augustine, Florida is widely recognized as the oldest permanent settlement in the Western Hemisphere by a European power. Founded in 1565 by a Spanish conquistador, St. Augustine today is a popular tourist attraction for its historic sites—such as Castillo de San Marcos—and gilded age-era buildings of Flagler College and the Lightner Museum. But while St. Augustine is the oldest, it was not the first. Six years earlier another conquistador sailed with six ships to the area off the coast of that is now Pensacola. The attempt was thwarted by a hurricane that sank the ships and killed many of the potential colonists on board. Two of the six ships have been discovered. Recently, remains of a third ship was found.

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Wreck of 16th-Century Spanish Ship Found Off Florida Coast

By Stephanie Pappas

LiveScience

January 13, 2017