Art McKee pioneered systematic treasure hunting when he relocated to Florida in 1937, transforming random artifact discovery into professional underwater archaeology. You’ll find he discovered nine vessels from the 1733 Spanish fleet, sold silver bars to the Smithsonian, and obtained Florida’s first official salvage lease in 1952. He abandoned traditional hard-hat equipment for the Miller-Dunn Divinhood, developed homemade dredging systems, and opened America’s first sunken treasure museum in 1949. His methodical approach established protocols that balanced artifact recovery with maritime preservation, setting ethical standards that defined the industry’s future trajectory.
Key Takeaways
- Art McKee discovered nine treasures from the 1733 Spanish fleet, recovering silver bars, cannons, and ceramic artifacts.
- He opened America’s first sunken treasure museum in 1949 on Plantation Key to display recovered artifacts.
- McKee obtained Florida’s first official underwater salvage lease in 1952, legitimizing treasure hunting as an industry.
- He transformed treasure hunting from amateur discovery into a systematic, professional discipline with ethical standards.
- McKee’s San Pedro galleon excavation became Florida’s second Underwater Archaeological Preserve in 1989, balancing treasure recovery with preservation.
From New Jersey Shores to Underwater Exploration
Born on November 2, 1910, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, Art McKee began his underwater career not in tropical waters but amid the industrial salvage operations of the Depression-era Northeast.
His Bridgeton origins shaped his practical approach—working as line tender during 1934 storm salvage efforts for a collapsed bridge, then lifeguarding at Sunset Beach while mastering hard-hat diving techniques through bridge construction projects.
McKee’s Depression-era bridge salvage work and hard-hat diving training forged the practical foundation for his later Florida wreck-hunting career.
You’ll find his 1937 Florida shift wasn’t escape but strategic relocation. McKee arrived in Homestead with established skills, securing head lifeguard position at a WPA pool while taking pipeline inspection contracts throughout the Keys. His 1936 knee injury had prompted the move south, where warmer waters and steady pipeline repair work—including the major Homestead to Key West underwater pipeline—offered recovery and opportunity.
This methodical expansion created the network he’d leverage for wreck hunting. When fishing guide Reggie Roberts revealed El Capitana’s location, McKee possessed both technical competence and regional connections necessary for independent salvage operations. He later pioneered glass bottom boat tours that allowed tourists to view shipwrecks without diving equipment, transforming underwater exploration into accessible entertainment.
Hard-Hat Diving and Revolutionary Techniques
McKee’s technical foundation emerged from necessity rather than formal instruction. You’ll find his 1934 entry into hard-hat techniques began as a line tender during Bridgetown’s collapsed bridge salvage, where he mastered diving safety protocols by managing lifelines and signals.
By 1936, he’d progressed to full diver status on Delaware River projects. His adaptation proved revolutionary when he abandoned standard dress for the Miller-Dunn Divinhood in Florida’s warm waters.
You’d operate solo with just a pump operator, eliminating cumbersome teams. He pioneered crude dredging using boat exhaust through pipes—a precursor to Mel Fisher’s mailbox technique—while developing underwater metal detectors and jet propulsion vehicles from surplus parts.
These innovations on sites like the 1733 San Pedro galleon established fundamental methodologies that prioritized resourcefulness over technological dependence. His discoveries included silver coins and cannonballs that would later form the core collection of his pioneering museum on Plantation Key. McKee discovered a cannon while assisting a fisherman near Key Largo, which led to his 20-year salvage operation of the Capitana el Rui shipwreck.
The Silver Bar That Changed Everything
You resigned from your Homestead job, transforming preparation into professional salvage.
One bar sold to the Smithsonian Institution; two displayed in Homestead Bank.
Recovery quantities filled your warehouse, prompting the 1949 opening of America’s first sunken treasure museum on Plantation Key.
This career turning point preceded your nine discoveries from the 1733 Spanish fleet, establishing you as modern treasure hunting’s pioneer.
Your Miller Dunn diving helmet and sneakers became your trusted equipment for countless underwater expeditions.
The first official Florida underwater salvage lease you obtained in 1952 legitimized your operations and set precedent for future treasure hunters.
San Pedro Galleon: A Historic Excavation
Among the twenty-one vessels lost during the 1733 hurricane, the 287-ton Dutch-built San Pedro galleon represents one of modern underwater archaeology’s most significant preservation successes.
The 287-ton San Pedro galleon stands as one of underwater archaeology’s most remarkable preservation achievements since the devastating 1733 hurricane.
You’ll find this merchant vessel’s remains in eighteen feet of water, one mile south of Indian Key, where it carried 1,600 pesos in Mexican silver, Chinese porcelain, cochineal, and indigo toward Spain.
The site’s rediscovery in the 1960s yielded silver coins dated 1731-1733 and several cannons before systematic mapping by state archaeologists in 1988.
Unlike heavily salvaged contemporaries, San Pedro’s ballast pile remained largely intact, making it ideal for Florida’s second Underwater Archaeological Preserve designation in 1989.
Following the hurricane, survivors constructed makeshift shelters from wreckage on nearby islands while awaiting rescue vessels that brought supplies and salvage equipment.
The Texas Antiquities Code was adopted in 1969 to address similar concerns over unscientific recovery methods that had plagued other historic shipwreck sites.
Today, you’re free to explore its dense European ballast stones and replica cannons—tangible evidence of Colonial maritime heritage protected within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary‘s historical preservation framework.
Innovations That Transformed Treasure Salvage
The technical limitations of 1940s-1950s diving equipment demanded creative solutions that would fundamentally reshape underwater archaeology and salvage operations.
McKee’s diving innovations freed him from industry constraints through practical ingenuity. His Miller-Dunn helmet eliminated cumbersome suits in warm waters, enabling solo operations without team dependency.
The homemade dredging system—blasting engine exhaust through pipes—cleared debris layers concealing artifacts, predating Fisher’s refined mailbox by decades.
McKee’s salvage technology breakthroughs included:
- Underwater metal detector (developed with Dr. Crile) locating silver bars on the Ivory Wreck
- Jet propulsion vehicle providing unprecedented mobility and excavation capability
- Surface-supplied air rigs assembled from surplus components
- Open-bottom helmet design allowing extended bottom time
These tools liberated treasure hunters from traditional equipment limitations, establishing methodologies still influencing modern salvage operations. McKee’s success salvaging wrecks from the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet demonstrated how specialized equipment could unlock centuries-old maritime wealth previously deemed inaccessible. His early diving experience began when he learned hard hat diving in 1934 while assisting a diver surveying storm damage to local infrastructure in New Jersey.
Notable Shipwrecks and Maritime Expeditions
McKee’s breakthrough came in 1948 when he cross-referenced Spanish Archive of Indies charts from Seville with Florida Keys topography and weather records, systematically locating multiple shipwrecks from the catastrophic 1733 Spanish treasure fleet.
His methodical approach yielded famous wrecks including San Pedro, Ellen Fonte, and La Capitana near Key Largo, where he recovered cannons, silver bars, and ceramic ware. He documented the San Pedro site so thoroughly it became Florida’s first protected underwater archaeological preserve.
Beyond the 1733 fleet, you’ll find McKee investigated diverse maritime history sites: a 1700s slave ship off Looe Key yielding ivory tusks, the 1656 San Pedro at Gorda Cay producing massive silver bars, and the Genoves wreck holding three million pesos in precious metals, discovered shortly before his 1979 death.
Father of Modern Treasure Hunting
Before McKee transformed treasure hunting into a systematic discipline, divers had occasionally stumbled upon underwater artifacts, but none had approached Florida’s reefs as deliberate archaeological sites requiring methodical investigation.
You’ll find McKee’s 1938 shift from lifeguard to salvager established protocols that balanced treasure ethics with maritime history preservation. His progression demonstrated four critical shifts:
- Recognition: Identifying Florida Keys reefs as concentrated wreck sites rather than random discoveries
- Methodology: Applying hard-hat diving equipment to systematic excavation versus opportunistic retrieval
- Documentation: Recording wreck locations and artifact contexts for historical understanding
- Professionalization: Establishing salvage as legitimate industry through corporate structure and public museum display
His recovery of Spanish fleet vessels, particularly the Capitana el Rui salvaged over two decades, proved underwater archaeology could serve both commercial interests and cultural preservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happened to the Artifacts Art Mckee Recovered During His Career?
Unlocking history’s vault, you’ll find McKee’s treasure recovery artifacts preserved in his museum displays—cannons, coins, jewelry, and the Capitana’s framework. The History of Diving Museum now houses select pieces, ensuring artifact preservation for your exploration and discovery.
Did Art Mckee Have Any Children Who Continued His Treasure Hunting Work?
Yes, Art McKee’s daughter Karen continued his legacy influence through treasure work and family involvement. She became a numismatic expert, donated archival materials to the 1715 Fleet Society, and actively preserved her father’s pioneering contributions to underwater archaeology.
How Much Money Did Art Mckee Earn From His Treasure Discoveries?
You’d think treasure hunters swam in gold doubloons! However, specific treasure revenues from Art McKee’s diving expeditions remain undocumented. Evidence shows he raised $200,000 through museum shares, but actual artifact sale profits weren’t publicly recorded—treasures funded museums, not mansions.
What Diving Equipment Brands Did Art Mckee Prefer to Use?
You’ll find McKee’s equipment preferences centered on the Miller-Dunn Divinhood helmet and SOS Decompression Meter. His diving gear choices prioritized functionality over convention, rejecting the heavier US Navy Mark V for lighter, more efficient alternatives in salvage operations.
Where Is Art Mckee Buried and Is There a Memorial?
Art McKee’s burial site remains undocumented in public records. However, you’ll find his memorial tribute at Islamorada’s History of Diving Museum, featuring exterior murals and interior exhibits commemorating his pioneering contributions to underwater treasure hunting and diving innovation.
References
- https://divingmuseum.org/blogs-from-the-past/art-mckee-the-father-of-modern-treasure-hunting/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWGZ3tsIYjw
- https://www.treasurehuntersjournal.com/post/art-mckee-the-godfather-of-sunken-gold
- http://thethunderchild.com/GhostGunsVirginia/TreasureWrecks/ArtMcKee.html
- https://www.keyshistory.org/Art_McKee.html
- http://historyofdivingmuseum.blogspot.com/2010/
- https://numa.net/2016/12/tracking-trails-of-sunken-treasure-part-ii/
- https://keysweekly.com/42/keys-history-etching-keys-treasure-hunters-into-history/
- https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/the-florida-keys-history-of-diving-museum/
- https://keysweekly.com/42/history-of-diving-museum-celebrates-legendary-treasure-diver/
