The sinking of the Mercedes |
|
| Career (Spain) | |
|---|---|
| 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 [3]) 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 from a deep-ocean site"
As of 2011, a US federal court and a panel from the US federal United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit have upheld the Spanish claim to the contents of the ship.
- Documents from the court case in which it was alleged that the Mercedes had been found by Odyssey Marine.