Modern Mysteries

Anchor could be from 'El Dorado of the seas'

By T.K. Randall
March 4, 2019 ·  0 comments

The Merchant Royal was carrying unimaginable riches. Image Credit: Robert Salmon The massive anchor, which is believed to date back between 200 and 400 years, was recovered from the sea floor by the fishing vessel Spirited Lady last week.

What makes the find particularly intriguing is the possibility that the anchor is that of the Merchant Royal - a renowned 17th-century vessel that went down in rough seas off Land's End in 1641.

The ship had been carrying vast amounts of riches when it sank, including 100,000 pounds of gold (worth $1.5 billion today), 400 bars of Mexican silver and 500,000 pieces of eight.

It's immensely valuable cargo had earned it the nickname 'El Dorado of the seas'.Whether or not the anchor actually is from the Merchant Royal however currently remains unclear.

Back in 2007, the US company Odyssey Marine Exploration believed that it had discovered the famed vessel when it retrieved $500 million worth of gold and silver coins from a wreck on the sea floor.

After a lengthy legal battle however, it turned out that the ship was actually a Spanish frigate.



Source: Cornwall Live | Comments (0)

Tags: Anchor, Merchant Royal