MATANZAS BAY, CUBA
In 1588, to avoid loss of treasure in a battle with Dutch warships, 24 Spanish galleons entered Matanzas Bay, Cuba in an attempt to unload their rich cargoes. They were not fast enough. Without firing a shot, the Dutch grabbed more than 25,000,000 pesos. There was so much treasure that they had to re-float four of the Spanish ships to carry off their plunder. Although considered to be the greatest treasure ever captured, the Dutch could have seized twice the booty (781 tons of precious metals) had they known that the Spanish had concealed huge amounts of gold and precious stones under the ballast of their ships. As a result, Piet Heyn, the Dutch commander, had his men burn 20 galleons, sending them all to the bottom of Matanzas Bay where they still remain today.

GENOVESA
In 1730, the richly laden Spanish ship Genovesa sank about 100 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, in the Pedro Bank. The ship carried over three million ounces in gold and silver, and though a number of salvors claimed to have found coins from the ship, it is thought by some historians that most of the treasure has not been recovered.

VERELST
Considered to be the richest treasure ship ever lost by the Dutch, it is also one of the richest ever lost by any country. In 1771, Verelst was dashed to pieces on a barrier reef near a fishing village known as Grand Gaube, on Mauritius Island in the western Indian Ocean. In addition to a cargo of more than 2,000,000 gold florins (weight and value is unknown), Verelst carried 740 pounds of uncut diamonds in 17 chests and is considered one of the largest quantities of diamonds lost in any wreck. One diamond was reputed to be the size of a man's fist. Such a diamond would prove to be the largest discovered anywhere in the world.

SAN JOSE
Considered to be one of the richest Spanish treasure ships ever lost in the Western Hemisphere, the San Jose sank in about 2,000 feet of water on June 8^th, 1708. This loss resulted from a battle with an English squadron. Due to the ongoing War of the Spanish Succession, no treasure had been sent from South America to Spain for a period of 6 years. The San Jose was loaded with 11 million pesos (about 344 tons of gold and silver coins). As well, there were 116 chests of emeralds, and the personal wealth of the Viceroy of Peru. An eyewitness account reported that it went down off Baru Island, between the Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island) and Baru Peninsula, in an area near Cartagena, on the northern coast of what is today the country of Colombia.

LA MADALENA
On September 9^th, 1589, this ship went down in a hurricane near the mouth of the Bahama Channel, north of present-day Miami. The ship carried more than 1,250,000 pesos (39 tons) and, it is estimated, an equal amount of contraband.

FLOR DO MAR
The Portuguese overran the ancient kingdom of Malacca (now known as Malaysia) after its sultan declined a request for permission to trade there. For a total of three days, Admiral Alfonso d'Albuquerque's men sacked his city, relieving it of 60 tons of gold booty plus the sultan's throne, his ingots and coins and more than 200 chests of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. It was 1511 and the Admiral called it "the richest treasure on earth that I have ever seen," and loaded it aboard the Flor do Mar. The Portuguese didn't get far with it though, as the vessel was lost in a storm off the northern coast of Sumatra along with riches estimated to be worth upwards of $3 billion. This wreck is considered by many authorities to be the most valuable in the world.

SANTISSIMA TRINIDAD
In 1616, and on her way from Manila to Acapulco, this Spanish ship went down in a typhoon, somewhere around the Osumi Strait, off the southern extremity of Japan. Her cargo is estimated to have been 3,000,000 pesos (94 tons of coins).

SANTA CATALINA
In 1636, only a few miles from her destination of Lisbon, this Portuguese ship went down due to faulty navigation. She carried more than 3,500,000 cruzadoes (gold coins), plus 22 chests of diamonds, rubies and other precious stones.

LAS CINQUE CHAGAS
On June 13^th, 1594, this Portuguese ship lost an ongoing battle with four English warships. She sank in deep waters and her last recorded position was 18 miles south of the channel between Pico and Fayal, in the Azores. She went down with more 3,500,000 cruzadoes plus an unknown number of chests of diamonds, rubies and pearls.

GROSVENOR
Considered to be the richest British ship ever lost, this East Indiaman wrecked on a reef, August 4^th, 1782, broke apart and sank on a deserted coast known as Pondoland, north of Port St. John, about 700 miles northeast of Cape Town, South Africa. Treasures lost included 2,600,000 gold Pagoda coins (weight unknown), 1,400 gold ingots (weight unknown), 19 chests of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires and an extremely valuable jewel encrusted gold peacock throne from India.