Coins From the Santiago Shipwreck

On the evening of August 19th 1585, the Santiago struck, at full speed, the Bassas da India atoll between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Indian Ocean, due to pilot error. With the bottom ripped off, the 900 ton ship came to rest on the coral reef.  The officers and crew, and the wealthy passengers took to the lifeboats promising to return with help for the 400 others on board. It was an idle promise and the 400 persons left behind drowned when the ship broke up beneath them and sank. The ship originally left Lisbon in early April 1585, bound for India, and was part of a six ship fleet.