The Contested Treasure of Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes (1804)

When the English fleet met with the Spanish fleet returning from Peru loaded with coins, no state of war existed between the two nations. What would follow would change that, and the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes would explode before finding her resting place at the bottom of the ocean. The story of the cargo of her coins was far from over though, and it would turn into a whole new international battle, though this one was fought in the courts. Ship Name: Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes Launched: 1786 Nationality: Spain Sank: 1804 Reason for sinking: Exploded during the battle of Cape Santa Maria Lives Lost: 250 Sources: https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/mnarqua/en/colecciones/yacimientos/ns-mercedes.html https://www.seeker.com/black-swan-shipwreck-ordeal-comes-to-end-1765662614.html https://coast.noaa.gov/data/Documents/OceanLawSearch/OdysseyMarineExploration_CaseSummary_PDF.pdf?redirect=301ocm http://www.spainisculture.com/en/propuestas_culturales/tesoro_patrimonial_fragata_mercedes.html https://english.elpais.com/arts/2020-06-22/spanish-archaeologists-recover-new-treasure-from-famed-mercedes-shipwreck.html https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Amiens-1802 http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h34-np4b.html https://web.archive.org/web/20171115173230/http://www.shipwreck.net/blackswan.php https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/case-law-doc/traffickingculturalpropertycrimetype/usa/2012/case_shipwreck_mercedes.html http://www.oceantreasures.org/pages/content/famous-wrecks/the-explosion-and-foundering-of-the-spanish-galleon-nuestra-senora-de-las-mercedes.html http://fmercedes.fundacionmuseonaval.com/index.php/el-expolio-del-odyssey https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/01/14/actualidad/1421265607_906473.html Cannon Sound Effect Attribution: https://freesound.org/people/daveincamas/sounds/368270/