06/23/2026
A shipwreck found off England’s south coast has finally been identified after nearly 30 years of research. Archaeologists now believe the vessel was the Dom van Keulen, a Dutch merchant ship carrying thousands of Moroccan gold coins when it sank in 1633.
The wreck lies near Salcombe in Devon. Divers first found the site in 1995, recovering more than 400 gold coins from the seabed. For decades, experts worked to learn the ship’s identity and trace its final voyage.
New research published in the book From Morocco to the Coast of England: The Story of the Dom van Keulen and its Remarkable Cargo links the wreck to a Dutch trading vessel sailing from Morocco to the Netherlands in the autumn of 1633.
Historian Ian Friel examined records preserved in the National Archives. The documents describe a ship named Dom van Keulen encountering severe storms during its journey north. The vessel sprang a leak and eventually sank near the English coast. Records show the entire crew survived.
The cargo offers a rare look at trade between North Africa and northern Europe during the seventeenth century. Historical sources show the ship carried 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpeter, 320 goat skins, and about 9,000 Barbary ducats, gold coins minted in Morocco.
Researchers believe salvagers recovered much of the cargo shortly after the sinking. Hundreds of gold coins remained underwater for more than three centuries before divers found them.
The coins came from Morocco’s Atlantic trade network, which handled large amounts of West African gold. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Dutch merchants exchanged manufactured goods for gold and other products from North Africa. Imported gold played an important role in the Dutch economy and helped supply mints producing coins used across international trade routes.
Many finds from the wreck are now held by the British Museum. Alongside the gold coins, archaeologists recovered jewelry, pottery, a pewter bowl and spoon, a stamp seal, a fish-shaped sounding weight, and a gold finger nugget.
Little information survives about the ship’s appearance. No known paintings of the vessel exist. Archaeological work shows the wreck site stretches about 30 meters across the seabed at a depth of roughly 18 meters. Cannons, anchors, and scattered cargo still rest on the site.
The book places the ship within the wider history of the Sa’dian Sharif dynasty, which ruled Morocco during the voyage. The cargo reflects strong trade links connecting Morocco, the Dutch Republic, and England during a period of growing maritime commerce.
The wreck is protected under British law and managed by Historic England. Only licensed divers are allowed to visit the site. Local authorities and maritime groups monitor the area to prevent damage and illegal recovery of artifacts.
What began with a handful of gold coins on the seabed has grown into the story of a lost trading ship, a dangerous voyage, and a trading network that stretched from West Africa to northern Europe. The identification of the Dom van Keulen brings a long-running archaeological mystery much closer to an answer.