Mystery of gold coin shipwreck finally unmasked after 30 years: 'Fantastic conclusion'

Researchers successful the United Kingdom judge they've yet identified a shipwreck disconnected England's confederate seashore — a find 3 decades successful the making.

The recognition was announced successful June by Bournemouth University and centers connected a shipwreck discovered adjacent Salcombe, Devon, successful 1995.

At the time, divers recovered implicit 400 Moroccan golden coins — but determination was nary hint arsenic to what the vessel was called and wherever it came from.

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Now, researchers person identified it arsenic the Dutch trading vessel Dom van Keulen, a vas that near Morocco for the Netherlands successful the autumn of 1633.

At the time, the vessel "sprang a leak and sank," according to the university's quality release. All unit members survived.

The recognition of the Dom van Keulen followed decades of collaboration among divers, archaeologists and researchers from aggregate institutions. (British Museum; Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust (MAST))

The findings are elaborate successful the precocious published publication "From Morocco to the Coast of England: The Story of the Dom van Keulen and its Remarkable Cargo."

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The recognition progressive astir 30 years of collaboration betwixt researchers and divers from the British Museum, Bournemouth University and the South West Maritime Archaeology Group.

Very small is known astir the quality oregon size of the Dom van Keulen and nary known paintings of the vessel exist, according to the Bournemouth University release.

Artifacts recovered from the shipwreck person helped researchers reconstruct the past of a Dutch merchant vas mislaid disconnected the Devon coast. (British Museum via Bournemouth University)

The wreck tract measures astir 98 feet agelong and rests astir 59 feet beneath the surface, wherever cannons, anchors and different artifacts are inactive scattered crossed the seabed.

Dave Parham, a prof of maritime archaeology astatine Bournemouth University and co-editor of the book, said the vessel was carrying 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpeter, 320 goat skins and 9,000 Barbary ducats, oregon Moroccan golden coins.

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"It is thought that astir of the cargo was salvaged astatine the time, but much than 400 coins remained connected the seabed until they were discovered by the South West Maritime Archaeology Group successful 1995," Parham said successful the property release.

"It reminds america however overmuch determination is inactive to beryllium recovered nether our seas."

Though helium doesn't person a consciousness of however overmuch the cargo would person been worthy successful the 17th century, Parham told Fox News Digital the vessel was carrying what would present beryllium considered a "general cargo" — a premix of mundane commercialized goods.

Parham said 1 of the astir astonishing aspects of the probe was however mean astir of the ship's cargo was — speech from the golden coins, which were important to the recognition process.

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"It was the beingness of the Moroccan coins, unneurotic with the dating grounds provided by the different finds, that allowed the humanities probe to beryllium focused," helium said.

Moroccan golden coins recovered from the wreck provided historians with cardinal grounds linking the vas to a Dutch trading voyage from Morocco. (British Museum via Bournemouth University)

He added that 1 of the astir singular aspects of the find was that an planetary depository collaborated with a radical of divers to scope "such a fantastic conclusion."

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In a statement, British Museum Head of Research Jeremy D. Hill said it took years of collaboration among historians, archaeologists and divers to portion unneurotic the ship's history.

No known images of the Dom van Keulen exist. Shown present is simply a 17th-century Dutch trading vessel akin to the vas researchers judge sank disconnected England's confederate seashore successful 1633. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"The find of African golden from nether the oversea disconnected the seashore of Devon was an astonishing find that raised truthful galore questions astir however it came to beryllium there," Hill said, according to the Bournemouth University release.

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"The communicative tin present beryllium told of however a Dutch vessel carrying North African golden was wrecked disconnected the English coast, making this a find of planetary importance. It reminds america however overmuch determination is inactive to beryllium recovered nether our seas."