The Merchant Royal was in port in Cadiz when it learned of a Spanish ship that was overburdened with this treasure.

[: Michael-Robert.]

The British were trustworthy? It had been 16 years since they’d last attacked.

Remember the Mercedes, the ship that the Florida divers found? When news first broke that they’d found treasure, no one was sure just which wreck these adventurers had located. Rumors said maybe it was the Merchant Royal, a British ship that sank in 1641. The Merchant Royal carried 50 tons of gold. That trove today would be worth more than $1.5 billion.

This was not British gold. It was Spanish gold, a massive horde that was being sent to the Dutch to pay for military expenses. The Merchant Royal was in port in Cadiz when it learned of a Spanish ship that was overburdened with this treasure. We’re not being facetious here — the Spanish ship really held more treasure than it could safely carry, and it wanted help transporting it. The Merchant Royal offered to carry the gold to Belgium (surely in exchange for some agreed-upon fee).

You’re free to speculate about whether the ship really planned to deliver the gold or whether they were going to hightail it back to England to live as kings. Either way, taking on the gold had been a terrible idea. The Merchant Royal had been leaking, even before the new heavy baggage came aboard. With those extra tons of precious cargo, the ship didn’t stand a chance. It sank off the coast of England, killing 18 aboard. Even all these centuries later, no one has found the ship, or the skeletons who 100-percent haunt the wreck.

 

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[: Michael-Robert.]

The Merchant Royal then sank off the coast in Cornwall, England. Taking the gold and riches to the bottom of the ocean. For centuries its location has remained a mystery, until last year when a fishing boat found the first clue.
The unfound shipwreck is one of the most lucrative shipwreck in history.

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

They dont know the exact location of the "anchor" found, but they do know the depth of 350 feet and the exact(GPS) route of the commercial fishing vessel that snagged it.

 

[Crow]

The anchor wa recovered. an anchor was trawled up by fishermen off Land's End and the media wrongly printed that the wreck had been found.

However, researcher believes that anchor to be Dutch and too late in date to be from the Royal Merchant.

Scilly based Treasure Hunter Todd Stevens also periodically looks for her remains. This is because the narratives show that the Royal Merchant sank 10 leagues from Land's End, which is about 35 nautical miles. A search area that large also encompasses the Isles of Scilly.

All attempts in finding the shipwreck has failed.


Crow

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Ole Crow, I am aware... But no updates from those that are following the commercial fishing vessels gps plotted route... Secrecy??

Interesting that they believe the anchor is(might be) Dutch.

The video posted covered most of this.

 

[Crow]

Here is the reference.

Sept. 30, Lond[on].
I suppose you have understood of the loss of the Royal Merchant coming into our road, which is the greatest that was ever sustained in one ship, being worth 400,000l. at least. The merchants of Antwerp will be the greatest losers, for she had in her belonging to them 300,000l. in bullion; if so be the Infante Cardinal lose not upon it Flanders for want of money to pay the soldiers.
– 'Charles I – volume 484: September 1641', Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles I, 1641–3 (1887), pp. 114–129

Here is that reference

this above reference was taken from the master of role that complied in above book of year in question of all correspondence. yet get access to original documents might revel more about this alleged position. there is claim of ten leagues?

There are documents. however getting access to them is not easy. the groups that have see it as propriety information.. yet still all of them have failed so far unless one of big players have it in Wet storage?

Crow

 

[Crow]

Where the current anchor in question was found in between New Grimsby on Sicily isle and Land end. It was caught up in a net 300 feet deep. 32 km from Lands end.

Yet an anchor cannot be seen as positive identification of a vessel. It was way to early to speculate and there are many thousands of shipwrecks on sea floor.

1 km = 0.179986 League. * It should be noted this is modern navigation league. in the 17th century the measurement could be different?

Still it makes one dream.

Crow

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Yes, I have about 4 to 6 different league measurements depeding on time periods and/or explorer.

 

[Crow]

A quick search it seems.

It was four millias (miles) in length. From 1630 to 1718 a millia was 5,564 feet (1 696 metres), making a geographical league of four millias equal 22,256 feet (6,784 m or 3.663 modern nautical miles).

So 10 leagues So about 30 nautical miles. Even so navigation back then was not exact accurate. Still gives a ball park figure around an arch based from land end.

300 foot is 50 fathoms. On that map dating from the time period there is sounds just west of Sicily isle 50 Fadoms. Perhaps a place to start?

Crow

 

[Robot]

Hi Koko Ali'i
I gave thought that The Merchant Royal with it's vast Treasure, may have been taken to "Oak Island"?

 

[Crow]

The late Jeff K

Gave some more details.

In 1637, merchant-adventurer Capt. John Limbrey sailed from Plymouth, England, for Spain and points beyond on the Merchant Royal.He had been hired on charter for a period of 21 months from a group of prominent English owners.

More than two years after that charter had expired, nearing his homeland with a magnate’s fortune as rewards of epic trading voyages, Limbrey barely escaped with but his life as the ship literally sank beneath him.

A well-established merchant in the sometimes-dangerous business of trading between England and Spain, Limbrey took advantage of a rare span of years when Great Britain stood aloof from the wars ravaging the whole of the European continent to offer his “neutral” ship for the transport of wealth, supplies, arms and soldiers to the various theaters of war.

It was safer in those years to hire Englishmen than for Spain, France or Holland to risk their own ships, and the seafarers of Great Britain grew fat on that business.

Spain made good use of Limbrey’s enterprising spirit. The Spanish government hired Limbrey to transport troops, supplies, arms and specie between the peninsula and Spanish-governed ports in Italy or friendly ports in Portugal.

He combined those voyages with trading stops of his own, including one illegal call in southern France to take on a cargo of prized laces and linens – forbidden goods in Spain, which was at war with France, but most desired by the grandees and their ladies.

In 1639, Limbrey and his English sailors temporarily adopted Spanish names, re-christened their vessel the San Jorge (or St. George), and sailed across the Atlantic as part of the armed escort for the annual treasure fleet. They returned to Spain in 1640, after many adventures among the proud Catholic colonial Spanish, who despised the English Protestants but also willingly traded with them.

On the return voyage, Limbrey came close to disaster. Nearing the Spanish port of Cadiz, the Merchant Royal sprung a plank. Water flooded her hold, and the heavily laden ship barely made it safely to dock.

Now more than year overdue to return to England, the Merchant Royal was held up until her hull might be repaired and Limbrey could resolve his business affairs. The next trading voyage he intended to make in the Merchant Royal was to be his last under the charter, and his destination was the comfort of his homeland -- that “Scept’red Isle” of England.

Capt. Limbrey saw to it that when the ship at last set sail for home, it would be a profitable voyage transporting not only his own wealth and rich cargo of goods, but also gold, gems, chests of silver, and other fineries for British and Flemish merchants.

Among those consignments was a freight of 60 chests of silver coins and bullions from the Spanish banking house of Escuazola. Research indicates this financial firm, also Spain’s agents for the rich and powerful European banking house of Fugger, apparently intended the money to redeem bills of exchange in Flanders – a kind of “inter-bank transfer” of money between two private interests. The Dover Merchant was available to accompany Limbrey’s ship and its rich cargo when the two vessels departed for England.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Repaired and apparently in sound condition, Merchant Royal and her companion ship, the Dover Merchant, set sail from Cadiz in mid-September.

Dates for these events are confusing – Spain at the time used the “Gregorian calendar” employed now by most Western nations, but England clung stubbornly to the “Julian” calendar first established by Julius Caesar. The Spanish were 10 days ahead of England’s calendar – so while the English say this ship sank on “September 23, 1641,” the Spanish date of the loss was “October 6, 1641.” Similarly, one set of records says the ship set sail after Sept. 19, 1641 – in Spain – but to the English, that date was Sept. 9, 1641.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Some days passed as the two ships coursed out into the Atlantic Ocean, then, according to practice of the time, bore to the northeast toward the mouth of the English Channel. As the ships sailed on, the Dover Merchant decided to follow a different course between Ushant on the French coast and the Scilly Isles to the southwest of Great Britain. As the Merchant Royal sailed on alone before the mouth of the English Channel, the disaster began. [disaster struck?]

As seas rose before an approaching storm, the Merchant Royal again sprung a plank. For hours her crew labored to pump water from her hold. Then the pump chains broke. The ship began to labor and settle deeper. Some of the men and passengers in terror took the ship’s longboat, abandoning Limbrey and others still struggling to save their vessel. But adrift without sails or oars, the men in the longboat could not escape either.

Alerted by the firing of the Merchant Royal’s cannon, one after another in the recognized distress signal of the day, the Dover Merchant rejoined her sinking companion. Appearing from the stormy darkness, she rescued all but some seven sailors, who drowned attempting to loot the treasure.


Crow

 

[Crow]

Loss of the ship made news throughout maritime Europe. From the official London Gazette to the financial paper Mercurische Courant in Amsterdam, the reports alerted horrified merchants and financiers, who had expected to receive their jewels, silver, gold, laces and spices. Woodcuts depicted the last labors of the sinking vessel. An enterprising London printer threw together details from the newspapers, rumors on the street and some third-hand versions of survivors’ reports to create a best-selling pamphlet, “Sad News from the Sea.” It was a combination of fact and fiction, but it made for a popular thriller in a country whose national life revolved around ships and sailors.

Here is party of an original printed pamphlet, below.

Crow

 

[Crow]

here is copy not original of full 1641 manuscript page

Crow

 

[Vox veritas]

Interesting the Odyssey issue tried to set up with this wreck. But they were "caught" in the lie while they were secretly loading treasure at Gibraltar airport. No Merchant Royal. Apparently it was the Mercedes.

 

[Crow]

Interesting the Odyssey issue tried to set up with this wreck. But they were "caught" in the lie while they were secretly loading treasure at Gibraltar airport. No Merchant Royal. Apparently it was the Mercedes.

They tried the old masking treasure locations trick. I cannot understand why they did not try to put their time and resources into Finding The Merchant Royal to begin with?

Crow

 

[ARC]

They tried the old masking treasure locations trick. I cannot understand why they did not try to put their time and resources into Finding The Merchant Royal to begin with?

Crow

The results would have been the same. heh

 

[Crow]

Clearly Odyssey never found the Merchant Royal. At that point in time the UK government was open commodities shipwreck salvage. The vessel was British, the wreck site was in British territory. Technically the Spanish government could not claim the rights to vessel that is not their ship and it was not warship to begin with. The only claim they could have is with merchants cargo? .Provided there is enough evidence that these merchants still exist?

Crow

 

[ARC]

To add insult to injury... and for those who did not know...
Not only was the treasure handed over....
OME was forced to PAY $1 million after it all... FOR... “bad faith and abusive litigation”