CHARLOTTE HARBOR, Florida (4 Jan 2004) -- In 1528, Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez lost one of his five ships at a place he called Santa Cruz, or "holy cross." The place was a small bay that led to a large bay located somewhere along the Southwest Florida coast. Could "Santa Cruz" be present day Charlotte Harbor? Could the remains of the explorer's foundered ship be located? That's one of the maritime mysteries J. "Coz" Cozzi hopes to find out. Cozzi, a nautical archaeologist, was recently hired by Mote Marine Laboratories to conduct a shipwreck survey of Charlotte Harbor. "It's one of the great adventures in the exploration of the American continents -- and it may have gotten kicked off right here," Cozzi said. "But, we just don't know where (Santa Cruz) is." Mote intends to search for wrecks of all kinds dating back to several eras of Charlotte Harbor's maritime history. That history ranges from the canoes used by Indians to the steamers that ran a Union blockade to smuggle cattle to Confederate states, Cozzi said. The site of one wreck near Boca Grande has been previously located by a "treasure hunter," and later documented by beach renourishment engineers, Cozzi said. That wreck is believed to date back to the 1800s. None of the Charlotte Harbor wrecks are expected to hold treasures, however. In the 1600s, Spanish treasure ships typically sailed through the Caribbean to Cuba, then followed the Gulf Stream along Florida's East Coast before crossing the Atlantic. Here, the only items likely to be left after time, tides and saltwater have wrought their work are rusty anchors, cannons and iron spikes, said Cozzi, who recently conducted a similar wreck survey in the Pensacola area. But, the real treasure held within Charlotte Harbor's wrecks may be the stories they could tell of life in what was then a remote outpost. "I think it's important because the historical records are silent on local maritime activities," Cozzi said. "Because it was a frontier area, there was no newspaper to print the local comings and goings. So, finding one of these shipwrecks is a fabulous way to fill in the gaps of local history." For example, for several hundred years, Spaniards from Cuba are believed to have operated "fish ranches" in Charlotte Harbor. After working their nets for weeks, they'd load their schooners down and return to Cuba. "They did that for centuries," Cozzi said. "It's hard to believe that in the hundreds of years that they were here they didn't lose a ship." Later, in the late 1800s, entrepreneurs Jacob Summerlin and Joel Knight built a dock and a store off Bayshore Road in Charlotte Harbor. There, cattle were loaded onto steamers and shipped to either Cuba or northern states. During the Civil War, the steamers ran a Union blockade to smuggle the beef to other Confederate states. "This was a hotbed for union smuggling," Cozzi said of Charlotte Harbor. | | Cozzi cited one episode in which a Union ship, the USS Gem of the Sea, sent a landing party up "Peace Creek" to destroy a smuggler's warehouse. The mission was a success, but the site of the warehouse remains unknown, he said. Cozzi said he plans to explore the Peace River to also locate abandoned wooden barges used to transport phosphate gravel to loading docks in Punta Gorda in the 1880s. By 1906, a railroad was built to carry the ore to ships at Boca Grande, rendering the barges obsolete. Documenting Charlotte Harbor's role as a landing site for several of the first explorations of North America would prove to be the most significant find. The explorations are believed to have begun when Ponce de Leon landed in 1513 and 1521. He tried to establish a colony on Pine Island, but was repelled by Calusa Indians, according to some historians. Wounded by an arrow, Ponce fled to Puerto Rico where he died. Hernando DeSoto is believed by some to have landed in 1539 at a point near the northern end of the U.S. 41 bridges. He then led an expedition that discovered the Mississippi River, where he died. But, Narváez's journey is one of the most colorful. He left Trinidad bound for Havana in five ships with 400 men and some of their wives, and 80 horses. But, on April 15, 1528, a storm blew them off course to the Southwest Coast of Florida. The explorers anchored at the mouth of a small, shallow bay. They found a much larger bay inland, according to local historian Lindsey Williams, who recounted the journey in his book, "Boldly Onward." Under constant Indian attack, the explorers trekked overland to the Tallahassee area, where they built makeshift boats. They ate their horses for food before embarking west. Those who didn't perish explored Texas and Mexico before returning to Spain. Only four survived to tell the tale. Mote will soon apply for state permits to use a magnetometer, which detects the presence of iron, and side-scan sonar, which detects objects that jut up from the bottom, to locate the wreck sites. Mote may eventually apply for permits to excavate artifacts, Cozzi said. Some artifacts could be placed in a museum, but no plans have been made to date. Mote has requested a $50,000 grant from the Legislature to help fund the wreck survey. State Rep. Jerry Paul, R-Port Charlotte, said he supports the request. Paul is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Agricultural and Environmental Appropriations. "Learning about the culture of the past can help you make policy decisions for the future," he said. |
