In 2019, Cornish fishermen pulled up a huge anchor from 300 feet under the surface, believed to be the anchor of the Merchant Royal. However, it remains uncertain and unlikely the treasure came from the Merchant Royal, and most likely is from another ship, the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish vessel sunk in 1804. In 2007 the team recovered an estimated £363 million of silver and gold coins, rumored to be from the Merchant Royal. Search expeditions led by The Odyssey Marine Exploration team has made numerous attempts at find the wreck, but has been unsuccessful thus far. Search for the wreck has been ongoing and difficult. However, the valuable cargo went down with the ship. News of the wreck was printed in the newspapers, stating the ship went down “ten leagues (about 34 miles) from Land’s End.” Eighteen crewmembers drowned, and 40 others, including Captain Limbrey were rescued up by Dover Merchant. To make matters worse, rough weather soon plagued the ship, and she sank off the coast of Cornwall in rough weather on September 23, 1641. The leaks continued to worsen, when the Merchant Royal‘s pumps broke down. After departing Cadiz, the Merchant Royal immediately began leaking again. The Merchant Royal and her sister ship, the Dover Merchant, set sail in late August of 1641 with the treasure, carrying its precious cargo. The cargo was treasure of gold and silver ingots and coins from the Spanish colonies, intended to pay the wages of 30,000 Spanish troops fighting against rebellion in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years’ War. Shortly before finally setting sail in 1641, another ship caught fire in port, and Captain Limbrey of the Merchant Royal agreed to carry the ship’s cargo to its destination in Antwerp, for a fee, of course.
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