Moroccan gold coins solve the mystery of a shipwreck in England
A shipwreck discovered off the coast of England has finally been identified thanks to the hundreds of Moroccan gold coins found on board. The Dutch vessel had left Morocco in 1633 before sinking on its way to the Netherlands.
For nearly thirty years, divers and researchers did not know the name of the boat spotted in 1995 near Salcombe, in Devon. The wreck has now been attributed to the Dom van Keulen, a Dutch merchant vessel caught in a violent storm.
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According to Bournemouth University, the boat took on water before sinking in the autumn of 1633. All the crew members survived the shipwreck.
A cargo of 9,000 Moroccan coins
The Dom van Keulen was carrying 9,000 Barbary ducats, gold coins minted in Morocco, as well as 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpeter and 320 goatskins. A large part of the cargo is believed to have been recovered as early as the 17th century.
However, more than 400 coins had remained on the seabed until their discovery by the South West Maritime Archaeology Group. Their Moroccan origin, combined with the dating of the other objects, enabled historians to focus their research on vessels that had departed from Morocco at that time.
Documents found in the British National Archives finally made it possible to reconstruct the Dom van Keulen’s voyage. The wreck, approximately 30 meters long, lies at a depth of 18 meters, surrounded by cannons, anchors and several objects now kept by the British Museum.