World wide war and gold ship down
- jimmoyer1
- Nov 23, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 1
Fort Loudoun Winchester VA was one of the westernmost outposts of the British empire in North America before Fort Duquesne fell.
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It was a part of a world wide war..Admiral Anson the lead Naval commander of this war became a "billionaire" of his time from taking a Spanish Galleon travelling annually carrying gold from Acapulco Mexico to Manilla in the Phillipines.
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Lord Loudoun-- who our fort was named after --- and who was the supreme commander of all North American forces went on to lead much larger armies in Portugal to fight Spain. Spain had joined this war as an ally of France. Portugal was ally to England.
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And Portugal's colony was Brazil, right next to Spanish territory in Uruguay.
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And so we come to a ship full of gold sunk in the bay near Montevideo, Uruguay.
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This ship was sunk one month before the treaty to end this world wide war was signed -- January 1763.
The finder of this sunken vessel was looking for investors to finance this salvage operation.
We have found no progress reports since 2015.
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Excerpt
Constructed in Hull for the Royal Navy and originally named HMS Kingston, the six-deck, 64-gun ship was bought in 1762 by the East India Company – then the richest business in the world – to embark on a military campaign to secure markets and territory in Spain’s South American colonies during the Seven Years’ War.
The disastrously led expedition ended the following year, when the privateer strayed into the range of the defensive battery during a bombardment of Colonia del Sacramento. After fire broke out in the ammunition store, the ship sank with the loss of 272 crew including Captain Robert McNamara. Sixty-two survivors, who swam to shore were promptly imprisoned and the officers tried and hanged.
After peace was declared, Spanish mariners handed the territory back to Britain’s Portuguese allies. Before leaving, they smashed the city wall and dumped the rocks on the Lord Clive so it could not be refloated.
Whether the wreckage has been looted is unknown, but Collado believes it will still contain the gold coins the captain was given to pay for the intended three-year expedition, thousands of litres of rum, 64 bronze cannons and booty the crew had earlier seized from another ship.
“You can’t really make a valuation. The canons should be $64m altogether. The coins are worth $5,000 to $6,000 each and there are 100,000 of them, so just do the math,” he said. “But the most important thing about that ship is her history. She’s probably the best you can find in that condition thanks to the fresh water in that part of the River Plate.”
The salvage operation – which will require cranes, excavators and about 80 workers – is expected to begin within two months.
Article dated Fri 15 May 2015 06.00 EDT
Compiled by Jim Moyer 6/4/2024, originally discovered 2017 and researched 2018, updated 2025
Argentinean treasure hunter Ruben Collad
COLONIA, URUGUAY: Argentinean treasure hunter Ruben Collado shows in a map 19 January 2004 in the port of Colonia, 188km west of Montevideo, the area where he will start to work on the refloating of British warship Lord Claive's remains, sunk in 1763. Collado is better known as the "corsair of the Rio de la Plata" after finding, in 1992, 3.000 gold coins and ingots belonging to Portuguese frigate Nuestra Senora de la Luz, sunk in 1752 in front of Montevideo. AFP PHOTO/Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP via Getty Images)
2017 is the latest update in google search of news articles in English
But Argentina has an update in 2022 in Spanish
A sunken British warship wrecked off the coast of South America is due to see the light of day once again – along with £1billion in gold coins .
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The Lord Clive was blasted by cannon fire in 1763 after an attempt to reclaim Uruguay’s Colonia del Sacramento, a former British colony which had been seized by the Spanish.
While Captain Robert McNamara planned to launch his attack and take over the city at the end of the Seven Years’ War, Spanish forces were secretly planning a counter-attack.
A battle saw the Lord Clive blasted to pieces and 272 of its crew killed.
Now, after 254 years rotting on the sea bed, treasure hunter Ruben Collado is planning on raising the wreck next month.
The Argentinian is hoping to discover an estimated £1billion in gold bullion, along with goods such as rum, opium and silk on the 64-gun vessel.
He said: “If that ship had not failed in its attempt to retake the city of Colonia del Sacramento, today we could be speaking English throughout Latin America.
Source
Abigail O'LearyNews Reporter
16:34, 29 Jan 2017
UPDATED16:35, 29 JAN 2017
The article
Sunken British warship with £1 BILLION in gold to be raised from the ocean 250 years after battle
The Lord Clive was sunk in a furious battle with the Spanish and is thought to hold an incredible horde of treaure
The wreck of the Lord Clive – which was destroyed by Spanish cannon fire during a botched attack on the city of Colonia del Sacramento – was discovered in 2004 (
Image: National Maritime Museum)
Abigail O'LearyNews Reporter
16:34, 29 Jan 2017
UPDATED16:35, 29 JAN 2017
A sunken British warship wrecked off the coast of South America is due to see the light of day once again – along with £1billion in gold coins .
The Lord Clive was blasted by cannon fire in 1763 after an attempt to reclaim Uruguay’s Colonia del Sacramento, a former British colony which had been seized by the Spanish.
While Captain Robert McNamara planned to launch his attack and take over the city at the end of the Seven Years’ War, Spanish forces were secretly planning a counter-attack.
A battle saw the Lord Clive blasted to pieces and 272 of its crew killed.
The ship was named after Lord Clive
Export ban on £6million flask given to Clive of India in hope a buyer can be found in UK
Now, after 254 years rotting on the sea bed, treasure hunter Ruben Collado is planning on raising the wreck next month.
The Argentinian is hoping to discover an estimated £1billion in gold bullion, along with goods such as rum, opium and silk on the 64-gun vessel.
He said: “If that ship had not failed in its attempt to retake the city of Colonia del Sacramento, today we could be speaking English throughout Latin America.
The ship is thought to be packed with gold
“Had the Lord Clive fired its cannons from a greater distance, Colonia del Sacramento would have been destroyed in one hour.”
Collado has been waiting for years to salvage the Lord Clive, named after Major General Robert Clive, but was only given the green light last year once Uruguay’s Ministry of Economy and Finance declared the project of “ministerial interest”.
Ruben Collado could be entitled to half of any treasure found in the retrieval of the lost ship.
The wreck, located 380 yards from the coast and 16ft underwater, was buried under rocks by the Spanish in order to prevent it floating to the service.
Treasure hunter Ruben Collado
A team of 80 divers, technicians and support staff with be involved in the salvage operation, costing an estimated £4million.
Andres Sobrero, director of tourism in Colonia, said: “The rescue of the ship would have an impact on the city no less important than when Unesco declared it, justly, a World Heritage Site.”
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