The Hurricane That Helped Decide Who Would Control Florida

September 22, 1565 — A hurricane scatters Jean Ribault's French fleet.

By Wm. E. McMullen II

On September 22, 1565, a hurricane struck the French fleet operating off northeast Florida during a struggle that would determine whether France or Spain held the stronger position on the peninsula.

The French had established Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River in 1564. Many settlers were Huguenots, but the conflict with Spain also involved empire, strategic sea routes and competing territorial claims.

Ribault Sails South

After Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established St. Augustine in September 1565, French commander Jean Ribault sailed south with much of Fort Caroline's effective fighting force to attack the Spanish position.

Then the weather intervened. NOAA's historical reconstruction dates the hurricane's impact on the French fleet to September 22. Ribault's ships were scattered and wrecked along the Florida coast.

Menéndez Takes the Opportunity

Menéndez marched north through severe weather and attacked the weakened Fort Caroline on September 20. The storm then left Ribault and many surviving Frenchmen stranded south of St. Augustine, where Spanish forces later confronted them near what became Matanzas Inlet.

The hurricane alone did not decide the struggle. Menéndez's decisions, the French choice to weaken Fort Caroline, Spanish resources and military action all mattered. But the storm radically changed the tactical situation at a critical moment.

Sources for Additional Reading

• NOAA AOML — The 1565 hurricane
• Library of Congress — Fort Caroline engraving