Maritime Heritage Trail
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Biscayne National Park's Maritime Heritage Trail offers an exciting opportunity to explore the remains of some of the park's many shipwrecks. Six wrecks, spanning nearly a century and a wide variety of sizes and vessel types, are being prepared for public mooring and viewing. These preparations include mapping, the installation of mooring buoys, and production of individual, waterproof site cards for each of the wrecks. Access to the wrecks is by boat only, and all but the Mandalay are best suited to scuba divers. The Mandalay offers an unparalleled opportunity for snorkelers to experience a wreck. Ranger-guided snorkel trips to selected sites on the Trail were a huge hit this past summer, and we look forward to making it even better next year! Watch this page for announcements next Spring.
Click on the links below to learn about each of the sites on the Maritime Heritage Trail.
<i>Arratoon Apcar</i> hard aground. In the 1870s, Cape Florida Lighthouse was considered inadequate because of its distance from the reef line. When Arratoon Apcar ran aground, it did so just a few hundred yards from where workers were busy building the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. 
<i>Erl King</i> under sail. Erl King reflects the early period of transition from wooden sailing vessels to steel steamships. 
Wreckers work the <i>Alicia</i>. Alicia was laden with silks, silverware, and other fine household items when it ran aground on Long Reef. The ensuing, often violent battles among the 70 different groups of wreckers led to a permanent rewriting of U.S. salvage laws. 
<i>Lugano</i> founders on Long Reef. At the time of its grounding, Lugano had been the largest vessel ever to wreck in the Florida Keys. 
The schooner <i>Mandalay</i> under sail. The steel-hulled schooner Mandalay was known as the “Red Carpet Ship of the Windjammer Fleet” and was outfitted with a teak and mahogany deck. Can't Get Enough Maritime History? Visit the National Park Service's Maritime Heritage Program's website to learn about other efforts to protect America's seafaring history. |
Did You Know?
Israel Lafayette Jones purchased land on Porgy Key, at the southern end of Biscayne National Park, in 1898. He, his wife Mozelle and their sons Arthur and Lancelot carved out a life for themselves by farming pineapples and key limes, eventually owning most of the land surrounding Jones Lagoon. More...