Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes
Encyclopedia
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 (15.2 LT), 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.
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
which was sunk by the British off the south coast of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on 5 October 1804 during the Battle of Cape Santa Maria
Action of 5 October 1804
The Battle of Cape Santa Maria was a naval action that took place off the southern Portuguese coast, in which a British squadron under the command of Commodore Graham Moore attacked a Spanish squadron commanded by Brigadier Don José de Bustamante y Guerra, in time of peace, without...
.
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 (15.2 LT), 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"
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama...
have upheld the Spanish claim to the contents of the ship.
See also
- Cabo de Santa Maria (Faro)Cabo de Santa Maria (Faro)Cape of St. Mary is the southernmost point of mainland Portugal, in the municipality of Faro. It is a point in the curve of a beach in the Island of Barreta, which has also the name of Island of Cabo de Santa Maria....
- List of Spanish sail frigates
- Black Swan ProjectBlack Swan ProjectThe Black Swan Project is the project name given by Odyssey Marine Exploration for its discovery and recovery of an estimated $500 million worth of silver and gold coins, from a shipwreck, rumored to be the Merchant Royal, which sank about off the coast of Gibraltar in 1641...
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.