Anchor From a 1641 Shipwreck Found — But Where's the Gold?

A fishing crew in the United Kingdom recently caught an anchor from a 17th-century shipwreck thought to contain metals worth over 1 Billion in British pounds aboard.

Known as the “El Dorado of the Seas,” the ship that sank in 1641 was believed to have 100,000 pounds of gold and 400 bars of Mexican silver on board when it disappeared, according to USA Today.

Anchor from a treasure-laden 17th-century shipwreck has been found off the coast of the U.K._https://t.co/WjigsRDQSs #archeomar ⚓️ #Archeologia #Archaeology #Arqueologia #Shipwrecks #Archéologie #Archäologie #archeo_mar #italia #italy #Cornwall #CornwallMaritimeArchaeology #UK pic.twitter.com/mzpsRzvJM8

— Archeo_Mar_Archeo_Sub (@archeomar) March 6, 2019

While the anchor is a good indicator of where the ship itself might be, experts are cautioning amateur divers from trying to reach the vessel themselves since equipment and expertise to dive 300 feet are necessary.

Any treasure hauls that are made will need to be reported to the British government because the ship lies in state waters, USA Today reported. A diver could end up keeping the treasure under salvage rights, but a license is required.

Also known as the Merchant Royal, the ship reportedly went down near the Isles of Scilly after hitting bad weather returning to Britain from Mexico.