| Career (Spain) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | El Cazador |
| Fate: | Wrecked early-1784 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Two-masted brig of war |
The El Cazador (meaning The Hunter in English) was a Spanish brig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 1784. On October 20, 1783 it was sent by Charles III of Spain on a mission to bring much-needed hard currency to the Spanish colony of Louisiana. The ship sailed to Veracruz, Mexico, where it was loaded with approximately 450,000 Spanish reales.[1] On January 11, 1784, it sailed for New Orleans, and was never heard from again.[2][3]
Then, on August 2, 1993, the trawler Mistake, while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico fifty miles south of New Orleans, hung its net on a snag. The trawler was captained by Jerry Murphy and its home port was Pascagoula, Mississippi. When the crew hoisted the net and dumped the contents on the deck, they found the net was filled with silver coins. The coins bore markings from the Spanish mint in Mexico, along with the date 1783.[4][5]
Treasure from the ship was originally housed in a safe at the old Grand Bay State Bank building in Grand Bay, Alabama.[6] It is now administered through the Franklin Mint.