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''Merchant Royal'' also known as ''Royal Merchant'', was a 17th-century English merchant ship lost at sea off Land's End, Cornwall in rough weather on 23 September 1641. On board were at least 100,000 pounds of gold (nearly one billion USD in today's money), 400 bars of Mexican silver (another 1 million) and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins, making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all times. The ''Merchant Royal'' spent three years trading with Spanish colonies in the West Indies from 1637 to 1640. England was at peace with Spain at this time. The ''Merchant Royal'' and her sister-ship, the ''Dover Merchant'', called into Cadiz on their way home to London. By all accounts she was leaking badly after her long voyage. When a Spanish ship in Cadiz at the same time caught fire just before she was due to carry treasure to convert into pay for Spain's 30,000 soldiers in Flanders, the ''Merchant Royals Captain Limbrey saw his chance to make a little more cash for his owners. He volunteered to carry the treasure to Antwerp on his way home. The ''Merchant Royal'' went on leaking after she and her sister-ship left Cadiz and, when the pumps broke down, she sank off Land's End in rough weather on 23 September 1641. Eighteen men drowned in the sinking. Captain Limbrey and 40 of his crew got away in boats and were picked up by ''Dover Merchant''. It is not likely that the treasure was taken aboard the ''Dover Merchant''. ==Search for the wreck== The Odyssey Marine Exploration company has tried for several years to locate the wreck but has been unsuccessful thus far. In 2007 the team announced the Black Swan Project, the name given by Odyssey Marine Exploration for its discovery and recovery of an estimated US$500 million (£363 million) worth of silver and gold coins, from a shipwreck, was originally rumored in the press to be from the ''Merchant Royal''. The Odyssey team is still uncertain as to the identity of the wreck, but now believe it may be the ''Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes'', a Spanish vessel sunk in 1804. The team continued to search for the ship on the 2009 Discovery Channel television show, ''Treasure Quest'', but were unsuccessful once again. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Merchant Royal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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