A 17th-Century Shipwreck Full of Moroccan Gold Baffled Divers for 30 Years. They Finally Cracked It

Off Salcombe Bay connected England’s southbound coast, divers stumbled onto a 17th-century wreck successful 1995 with much than 400 golden coins inactive scattered connected the seabed. The haul hinted astatine a overmuch bigger cargo that researchers deliberation was mostly salvaged soon aft the vessel went down, but the vessel’s sanction and backstory stayed frustratingly retired of reach. After astir 30 years of enactment by the British Museum, Bournemouth University, and the South West Maritime Archaeology Group, the enigma was pinned down connected 6/18/2026: the wreck is the Dutch trader Dom van Keulen, which near Morocco for the Netherlands successful autumn 1633 and sank aft it “met with overmuch tempestuous weather.” The protected site, monitored and tightly controlled nether the 1973 Protection of Wrecks Act, has go a uncommon insubstantial way meets seafloor detective story.

A 30-year mystery, solved connected June 18

Sometimes the champion tech communicative is truly a information story, adjacent if the “dataset” sits 60 feet underwater. Divers recovered a 17th-century wreck disconnected Salcombe Bay, Devon successful 1995, with much than 400 golden coins inactive scattered connected the seabed. The individuality stayed stubbornly unclear until June 18, 2026, erstwhile researchers named it: the Dutch trader Dom van Keulen.

What that cargo says astir an aboriginal proviso chain

The vessel had near Morocco for the Netherlands successful the autumn of 1633, and the surviving records marque the travel consciousness amazingly modern, a long-haul logistics tally with highly circumstantial inventory. Dave Parham, Professor of Maritime Archaeology astatine Bournemouth University, said, “Among its cargo were 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpetre, 320 goat skins and 9,000 Barbary ducats, golden Moroccan coins.”

The voyage ended aft it “met with overmuch tempestuous weather,” springing a leak and sinking adjacent the Devon coast. The full unit survived, and researchers judge astir of the archetypal cargo was salvaged soon after, leaving the coin way arsenic the astir durable clue.

Paper trails, hard evidence, and 1 cardinal grounds find

The breakthrough came from autarkic historiographer Ian Friel, who uncovered High Court of Admiralty documents successful the UK’s National Archives. Those records see a 1633 assertion connected the wreck by Amsterdam merchants João de Pas and Andrea de Azevedo, tying the tract to a circumstantial vessel and voyage, arsenic High Court of Admiralty records were connected backmost to the wreck’s carnal evidence.

That carnal grounds had its ain timestamp: the astir caller coin recovered was struck successful 1632, confirming the vessel could not person sunk earlier that year. It is simply a reminder that probe often works champion erstwhile archives and artifacts tin corroborate each other, alternatively of competing for the last word.

Protecting the site, and publishing the receipts

Today the wreck is treated similar captious infrastructure for historians. It is designated nether the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 and managed by Historic England, with diving restricted to those licensed by the Secretary of State astatine DCMS. Monitoring comes from the National Coastwatch Institution’s Prawle Point station, and Devon & Cornwall Police’s marine portion patrols nether Operation Birdie.

Researchers documented the 98-foot-long site, which inactive holds cannons, anchors, and smaller cargo items, per Popular Science. The team, including the British Museum and Bournemouth University, besides published its findings successful a 2026 publication with an Open Access mentation online, truthful the adjacent funny scholar does not person to hold 30 years for the footnotes.