Reservation Request
|
Nautical Museum
Take a step back in maritime history at the Saba Rock Nautical Museum. Showcasing artifacts from ancient shipwrecks, buried treasure, & more recent antiques of the motor yachting age – those interested in all things boating will find much to explore.
The Atocha
On September 6, 1622, the heavily laden Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha struck a reef and sank in a raging hurricane near the Florida Keys. She carried 265 people aboard, including a full company of 82 infantrymen intended to defend the vessel from pirate attack. All but five perished when the nearly 50 tons of gold and silver pulled the ship quickly to the bottom of the sea.
Spain's early attempts to locate and salvage the shipwreck failed. The treasure remained on the ocean floor until Mel; Fisher and his company Treasure Salvors, Inc. discovered the main wreck site on July 20, 1985 – 363 years later. Her cargo included 255,000 silver coins, 1,000 silver bars weighing between 60 – 70+ pounds each, thousands of emeralds, and numerous pieces of gold, leaving the Atocha with the distinction of being the richest treasure galleon recovered to date.
On display at Saba Rock, you will find one of the genuine silver bars, weighing over 70 pounds; Spanish pottery shards; iron carpentry spikes from the hull, and much more. With many of the silver and gold pieces crafted into one-of-a-kind jewelry, you can take home a piece of authentic Atocha treasure.
The RMS Rhone
On October 29, 1867, the royal mail steamship Rhone was wrecked during a terrifying hurricane off of Salt Island in the BVI. The RMS Rhone was a royal mail steam packet ship that transported cargo between England, Central & South America, and the Caribbean. She was one of the first iron-hulled ships, powered by both sail and steam.
The Royal mail steamship, Rhone, was wrecked during a terrifying hurricane in 1867. Today it is one of the finest wreck dives in the entire Caribbean.
The ship sank swiftly, the bow section in eighty feet of water, the stern in thirty. Of the original 146 aboard, plus an unknown number of passengers transferred from the Conway, only 23 people (all crew) survived the wreck. The bodies of many of the sailors were buried in a nearby cemetery on Salt Island. Due to her mast sticking out of the water, and her shallow depth, she was deemed a hazard by the Royal Navy in the 1950s and her stern section was blown apart. Now, the RMS Rhone is a popular dive site, and the area around her was turned into a national park in 1967.
During a memorial service 1967 at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking, Bert Kilbride heard of a second anchor that had been thrown from the ship in a desperate last attempt to save the foundering ship. Bert decided to locate this anchor – when he did, he raised it from the sea along with a barely-visible canon. Today, this anchor and cannon sit in our shallow aquarium at Saba Rock, guarded by our infamous green moray eels. In our Nautical Museum, you can find additional artifacts from the RMS Rhone including china, flatware, musket balls, pottery, iron works, and a collection of numerous glass bottles.
Antique Outboard Motors
At Saba Rock, we have a passion for the water. So it's no wonder that one of the machines that got people out enjoying the seas has sparked our interest.
We have a truly unique collection of antique outboard boat motors ranging from classic Callies of 1918 to colorful Mercurys & Evinrudes from the 1970s . You can find them on display throughout the resort in our Nautical Museum, restaurant & bar, and even in our guest rooms. Sure to bring back memories of fun times on the water to visitors both young & old!