The wreck of a British warship lying off the coast of South America for 254 years could be recovered along with gold coins worth more than $1.2 billion next month.
The wreck of the warship Lord Clive lay off the coast of South America for 254 years. Illustration photo: National Maritime Museum.
Treasure hunter Ruben Collando will begin salvaging the wreck of the Lord Clive, a British warship located off the coast of South America, next month, Mirror reported on January 29.
In 1763, the Lord Clive ship sank during the battle to reclaim the city of Colonia del Sacramento, southwest of Uruguay, a former British colony occupied by Spain at the time.
The ship lay nearly 5 meters deep on the seabed and was buried by the Spanish pouring rocks to prevent the British navy from salvaging the warship and bringing it back into service. The ship has been lying at the bottom of the sea for the past 254 years.
Collando received permission from the Uruguayan government to salvage the Lord Clive last year. He hopes to find gold coins worth more than 1.2 billion USD and many items such as wine, silk, and opium on the ship.
A team of 80 people including divers, technicians and support staff will participate in the salvage. The cost for this plan is estimated at more than 5 million USD. If the salvage is successful, Collando could be entitled to half of the treasure found on the ship.
