Pepper Wreck, Portugal
Sunk - September 14, 1606
Depth - 10 m (33 ft)
Excavation - 1996 - 2001
Cargo - peppercorns, ceramics, luxury goods
Hull - c 40 m (132 ft) long
Crew and passengers - c 600
Casualties - over 200
“Those on shore, awaiting the return of their loved ones, must have watched in horror at what they saw unfolding in the fury of the storm blowing from the south. The day before, although within sight of Lisbon, Captain Manuel Barreto Rolim had not risked sailing into the Tagus River, but had dropped anchor at Cascais Bay, 33 km (20 miles) to the north. Now, on 14 September 1606, he was willing to try the narrow entry. He almost made it through. But the wind must have fallen for a moment, allowing his ship to be dragged by violent tidal currents running in the channel. And there, at the entrance of the Tagus River mouth, in full view of wives and children, the Portuguese Indiaman Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, returning from India, struck a submerged rock and sank.” – Filipe Castro
Source
Castro, Filipe. "The Pepper Wreck: Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, Lisbon, Portugal in "Beneath the Seven Seas," edited by George F. Bass, pp. 148 - 151. New York and London, 2005.
Additional Resources
Dr. Brian Jordan has identified (April 2004) the log of exotic wood that was found twards the bow of the ship as Dalbergia madagascariensis Vatke, also known as Madagascar rosewood!
(Photo: Filipe Castro, Texas A&M University)