Richest treasure ever lost – now found

Underwater explorers believe they have discovered the wreck of the

Notre Dame de Deliverance

– an armed merchant vessel of French origin. The study of historical records, and the discovery of a few silver items brought up by divers many years ago, confirm the claim. Underwater video footage is being analysed to determine the best procedure to recover the wreck. Greg Brooks and John Hardy of Sub Sea Research based in Portland, Maine, USA, say that this was one of the richest ships ever lost. The estimated value of the vessel’s trove could be between US$2 billion and US$3 billion. According to research the ship departed Havana on Halloween, 1756 with an armed escort of smaller schooner-like vessels.