This beautiful chart shows the location of over 500 shipwrecks from Soldier Key to the Dry Tortugas by type of ship and year sunk. Hundreds of hours went into making this chart. Shown in great detail are the Keys, reefs, lighthouses, and water depth contours. The Florida Keys extend to the Dry Tortugas, and the unique inset shows the Marquesas Keys to the Dry Tortugas, a first for charts of this kind. Stories of how 33 of the most interesting and famous shipwrecks occurred, including the Atocha, Valbanerra, El Capitana, and Spiegel Grove. Pen and ink drawings illustrate the tragic sinkings of six ships.
The parchment at the bottom of the chart tells of the 1622 and 1733 fleets, the Search for the Atocha, the U-boats, the Wreckers, Deadly Hurricanes, the Lighthouses, Key West, and the Dry Tortugas.
Small Size Frame: Print is 12" x 18", Frame is 15" x 21"
Regular Size Frame: Print is 24" x 36", Frame is 30" x 42"
The frames are made from real lobster trap wood that was used to harvest lobsters in the Florida Keys. After 5 or so seasons of using these traps, the hardware that holds them together starts to rust, and the lobstermen can no longer use them. The older traps are taken, broken down and the weathered wood is used to make the frames you see below. The original staples, nails, and other fasteners are left in the wood to keep it looking the same as when used as a working trap. The black rope that is sometimes added onto the frames is the actual pull rope that is tied to the bouys you see in the waters thoughout the keys.
