Flor de la mar
The Flor de la Mar ( Blossom of the Sea ) was a Portuguese carrack that weighed 400 tons and sailed the oceans at the beginning of the 16th century.
The ship
The Flor de la Mar was a long-lived Portuguese cargo ship. At a time when ships were designed for a lifespan of three to four years, the Flor de la Mar was in use for more than twice as long.
An exact replica of the ship is on display at the Maritime Museum in Melaka , Malaysia . With a height of 36 meters, a length of 38 meters and a width of 8 meters, the ship weighed over 400 tons. The ship was the largest cargo ship in its time and almost twice the size of other ships that sailed the spice route.
history
The Flor de la Mar was built in Lisbon in 1502 for the spice route . Their first voyage took place in 1502 under the command of Estevão da Gama , a cousin of the explorer Vasco da Gama . Fully loaded with spices, the Flor de la Mar was difficult to maneuver, which resulted in delays in the first year and in 1503 there was an interruption of several months to repair the ship.
The last captain of the Flor de la Mar was Afonso de Albuquerque . Under his command, the ship was used as a warship. Because of its size, Afonso de Albuquerque decided to use it as a transport ship for the treasures he stole from the palace of the Sultan of Malacca .
Fully loaded with the treasure, the ship sank in a storm in November 1511. To date, neither the wreck nor the treasure have been found. It is believed that the ship is moored somewhere on the east coast of Sumatra .
The treasures on the pile
Among other things, the Flor de la Mar will be on board with gold plated litters have been, lions of gold, and the throne of the Queen of Malacca, who was allegedly littered with precious stones. Estimates of the treasure's worth amount to up to 7.5 billion euros.
Individual evidence
- ^ Maritime Museum (Flor De La Mar) - Melaka Hotels: Holiday Inn Melaka . In: Melaka Hotels: Holiday Inn Melaka . November 28, 2017 ( holidayinnmelaka.com [accessed March 20, 2018]).
- ↑ a b c Klaus Brinkbäumer, Clemens Höges, Jürgen Kremb, Erich Wiedemann: Fascination treasure hunt: pyramids of the deep sea . In: Der Spiegel . May 9, 2006 ( spiegel.de [accessed March 20, 2018]).