Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, off England's southwest coast, lies a shipwreck believed to be holding an enormous treasure worth one billion pounds. For years, salvage companies have been scouring the waters off Cornwall, attempting in vain to find it.
A TV show on the Discovery Channel even followed an exploration team in its attempts to locate the merchant ship it sank with. But, CornwallLive reports that to this day, the exact location of the 700-ton ship, nicknamed the "El Dorado of the seas", remains unknown.
Dubbed the Merchant Royal, she was built in 1627 in London. Owned by English merchants and captained by John Limbrey, she sailed around the West Indies and Spain. It is said that the ship started to leak heavily by 1640. After undergoing repairs, it was decided that she would transport Spain's colonial loot to Antwerp, in Belgium, before going back to London.
