Duke of Argyll’s divers to search for £30 million treasure

Published 12 years agoon February 14, 2014

More than 400 years after a Spanish galleon loaded with gold and silver sank off Mull, an aristocrat has launched a new mission to recover its treasure.

Divers will next week begin to sift through the silt of Tobermory Bay in an attempt to find the £30million cargo, reputed to have been funding for the ill-fated Spanish invasion of England in 1588.

It is the fourth time that Sir Torquhil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll, has mounted a search for the battle-scarred treasure ship.

His family was given the rights to the wreck by Charles I, and has made 60 attempts to retrieve the lost fortune over the centuries.

Following the armada’s defeat at the hands of Sir Francis Drake, many Spanish ships fled north, only to become caught up in violent storms.

Exactly how the Almirante di Florencia or the San Juan de Sicilia – the vessel’s exact identity has never been established – foundered in Tobermory Bay is unknown.

Legend has it that the ship was blown up after the Spaniards stocked up for their onward journey and tried to leave on November 5, 1588, without paying for their supplies.

It is said Donald Maclean of Duart boarded it and ignited its powder magazine, sending 350 Spaniards and the bullion to the bottom of the sea.

The latest two-month search for the treasure ship will be undertaken by a 10 strong team from The Poop Company in Somerset.

Director Matthew French yesterday revealed that the duke, would not be the sole beneficiary if any treasure is found as the operation is being bankrolled by investors.

Mr French said: “We have a contract with the duke to undertake this work on his behalf, but it is not funded by him, it is funded by various investors. He would receive the cash, but they would see a reward. We have an agreement.”

He confirmed that he was a small investor in the project but declined to name the other interested parties.

Having searched the bay in 2008, 2009 and 2010, Mr French said they thought it was “worth another go”, adding: “It is unfinished business. We hope there is something worth recovering for the owner. The duke is quite hopeful but he knows no more than we do. There is nothing in his records to indicate anything we do not already know.”

Source: www.express.co.uk