Coins from the Princess Louisa

Laden with 20 chests (69,760 ounces) of Spanish silver, the East Indiaman Princess Louisa fell victim to surprise currents and inaccurate charts and struck a reef and sank off Isla de Maio (Cape Verde Islands) in the early morning hours of April 18. 42 of the 116 people aboard floated to safety on the nearby island, but nothing on the ship could be saved. Contemporaneous salvage never came to fruition.

In 1998 and 1999 the wrecksite was located and salvaged by the Arqueonautas firm.