Fort Santiago

Most people associate Captain Morgan with the image on a rum bottle, but a team of leading U.S. archaeologists are on a mission to find the fleet of ships the iconic real-life privateer lost in the Caribbean in 1671. The search began in September 2010, when the team discovered six iron cannons belonging to Morgan off the coast of Panama, and continued last summer with the exciting discovery of a 17th century wooden shipwreck, potentially one of the five ships Morgan lost at the mouth of the Chagres River, including his flagship “Satisfaction.”

This summer, the team returned to Panama to excavate historic artifacts from the shipwreck in hopes of confirming its origin. Throughout the field season, the team recovered a sword, chests and wooden barrels, which are currently being preserved at the Patronato Panamá Viejo in Panama City.

Check out this link for an overview of the unprecedented project, the dive team and some amazing footage and photos of their discoveries.