Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes
_by_Francis_Sartorius,_National_Maritime_Museum,UK.jpg..jpg) The sinking of the Mercedes |
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| Career (Spain) | .svg){kind=small} |
|---|---|
| Name: | Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes |
| Launched: | Havana, Cuba, 1786 |
| Fate: | Sunk by the British 5 October 1804 |
| Notes: | Thought to be the wreck discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, codenamed "Black Swan"[1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Armament: | 36 guns |
The Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy in English) was a Spanish frigate which was sunk by the British off the south coast of Portugal on 5 October 1804 during the Battle of Cape Santa Maria.
Odyssey Marine Exploration claim to have discovered the vessel and recovered its treasure in 2007 resulting in a legal challenge from Spain. Odyssey claim to have recovered "over 500,000 silver coins weighing more than 17 short tons (15 t), hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and other artifacts, it is believed that this recovery constitutes the largest collection of coins ever excavated (actually ruled as an expoliation) from a deep-ocean site."
A U.S. federal court and a panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit have upheld the Spanish claim to the contents of the ship; Spain took control of the treasure in February 2012.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Treasure hunters ordered to return £250m of loot to Spain -The Telegraph, 4 June 2009
- ^ Black Swan Project
- ^ Cultural Property & Archaeology Law (20 February 2012). "Judge rules Spain can take control of shipwreck treasure recovered by Fla. company next week". Retrieved 1 December 2012.
[edit] External links
- Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. v. The Unidentified Shipwrecked Vessel
- Yahoo Finance Odyssey to Request En Banc Hearing in "Black Swan" Case
- Documents from the court case in which it was alleged that the Mercedes had been found by Odyssey Marine.
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