The Explosion of Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes
Odyssey Marine has arrested three additional shipwreck sites besides the Sussex. There has been much speculation as to which of these sites, if any, was responsible for the Black Swan treasure recovery. It's certain that the Black Swan is not the Sussex.
The first verified complaint filed by Odyssey Marine in September of 2006 is most likely that of the Merchant Royal. In the 2006 complaint Odyssey noted that "The Defendant Shipwrecked Vessel is believed to be a merchant ship lying at a depth of approximately 100 meters deep beyond the territorial waters or contiguous zone of any sovereign nation, approximately 40 miles from Lands End near the English Channel." Lands End is the general area where the Merchant Royal is said to have gone down.
The second verified complaint filed by Odyssey Marine in April, 2007 is most likely that of the SS Ancona, an Italian passenger liner torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915 off the southeastern coast of Sardinia. In the complaint of April, 2007 Odyssey wrote "the Defendant Shipwrecked Vessel is believed to be an Italian-registered passenger ship which sank in 1915 during World War I."
The third complaint filed by Odyssey Marine, also in April 2007, is now believed by many to be that of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes and the source of the Black Swan treasure. This conclusion is based upon the amount of treasure that was found, the general location of the Black Swan treasure find that Odyssey has said was "100 miles west of Gibraltar in the Atlantic", and the fact that Odyssey has not found the remains of any vessel (The Mercedes was said to have exploded).
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from the website of http://www.treasurelore.com
MERCEDES - While traveling in a small fleet returning to Spain from South America in 1804, the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, carrying enormous quantities of gold, silver and jewels, was blown up by the British off Cape Santa Maria, Portugal. Spain was at the time a neutral country, but was showing strong signs of declaring war in alliance with Napoleonic France. Acting on Admiralty orders Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Moore required the Spaniards to change their course and sail for England. The senior Spanish officer, Rear-Admiral Don José Bustamente, refused and opened fire on the British, leading to a short battle during which the Mercedes blew up. A Spanish account of the Mercedes describes her as "breaking like an egg, dumping her yolk into the deep." The account also goes on to say that the Mercedes didn't sink, but that "the decks were awash save for the poop." Most of the survivors were rescued from the Mercedes herself from one or two small boats. The English Prize Office removed 4,773,153 gold and silver pesos from the three captured ships, 1,307,634 of which belonged to the king of Spain. Another $1,000,000 in gold and silver, including a solders' fund of 143,070 pesos, was estimated to have gone down with the Mercedes. After the incident Spain declared war on England.