Captain Jerry Murphy
Two hundred years later, about 50 miles south of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, the butterfish trawler, Mistake, was fishing in 300 feet of water when her net snagged something on the bottom. It was 2 August 1993. Captain Jerry Murphy and his crew held their breath as they retrieved the net to examine it for damage.
When was the El Cazador found?
January 11, 1784
On January 11, 1784, El Cazador sailed for New Orleans and vessel, crew and fortune disappeared into the winter sea, sinking without a trace. It was discovered many years later that they made it within 50 miles of its destination when it was lost in 300 feet of water.
What year did the El Cazador sink?
1784
The El Cazador (meaning The Hunter in English) was a Spanish brig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 1784. In the 1770s the Spanish Louisiana Territory’s economy was faltering due to paper money that was not backed by silver or gold.
What happened to the El Cazador?
On Jan. 11, 1784, El Cazador left Mexican shores, headed for the bayou. In June, the ship was declared missing, lost in murky depths for nearly 210 years. The more than 400,000 silver reales on board wasn’t exactly pocket change for the Spanish government.
Where did the El Cazador shipwreck take place?
The El Cazador was tasked with sailing somewhere between 400,000 and 450,000 Spanish 8 reales coins (and about as many smaller coins) from Mexico City to New Orleans, but sometime during the winter of 1784 it wrecked in the Gulf of Mexico. It was found over 200 years later, in 1993, by a small fishing trawler.
How much silver was in the El Cazador coin?
Roughly 400,000 pieces of eight, and 50,000 other Reale coins of small change – 4 Reale and 2 Real coins, etc., an amount totaling upwards of 37,500lbs (or 18.75 tons) of silver! This coin was one of those 450,000 which vanished into the depths of history…
Why did the Spanish brig El Cazador sink?
The El Cazador (meaning The Hunter in English) was a Spanish brig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 1784. In the 1770’s the Spanish Louisiana Territory’s economy was faltering due to paper money that was not backed by silver or gold.
What was the purpose of the El Cazador?
In 1784, there was a need for additional silver coins in some of the Spanish territories of North America. The El Cazador was tasked with sailing somewhere between 400,000 and 450,000 Spanish 8 reales coins (and about as many smaller coins) from Mexico City to New Orleans, but sometime during the winter of 1784 it wrecked in the Gulf of Mexico.
