FLOR DE LA MAR, or Flor do Mar (Flower of the Sea) was a Portuguese nau (carrack) of 400 tons, which over nine years participated in decisive events in the Indian Ocean until her sinking in November 1511. There traveled Afonso de Albuquerque returning from the conquest of Malacca, with a huge booty and treasure to the Portuguese king, lost off the coast of Sumatra, making it one of the mythical lost treasures. A replica of the Flor de la Mar is at the Maritime Museum in Malacca.
The "FLOR DE LA MAR" was built in Lisbon in 1502, being one of the finest vessels of the time. Equipped with powerful artillery, which comprised six big iron canons called “Lions” on the castle, three on each side, which fired very heavy bullets of 36 pounds.; in the battery, there were ten ‘metal camels’ on each side, which made a total of 20 pieces firing bullets of 16 pounds. On the deck of the arbalesters and the castle–gangboards, there were numerous smaller pieces of ordnance and heavy guns
In the same year she sailed to India under the command of Estevão da Gama, a cousin of Vasco da Gama. In March 1505, she was part of a fleet of 22 ships sent to host D. Francisco de Almeida as the first viceroy of Portuguese India. Later in the same year, while returning to Portugal under the command of João da Nova, she had a leak in the hull at the Cape of Good Hope, having docked near Mozambique. There they were met by Tristão da Cunha's fleet heading to India, who did everything to save both the vessel and her captain. They joined this fleet, never to return to Portugal. Integrated in Afonso de Albuquerque's squadron, they participated in the conquest of Ormuz in 1507. Two years later in India she was the flagship of D. Francisco de Almeida in the battle of Diu. Again under Afonso de Albuquerque orders she gave support in the conquest of Goa in 1510, and in the conquest of Malacca in 1511, making it a remarkable example of longevity of a Portuguese vessel in the first quarter of 16th century.
Despite already being deemed unsafe, she served to support the conquest of Malacca, then the largest commercial center of East of India’s. Given her large capacity, Afonso de Albuquerque wanted to give the court of King Manuel I a show of its treasures, and used it in the return voyage, by the end of 1511, to transport the vast treasure amassed in the conquest with the offers from the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) to the king of Portugal. When "FLOR DE LA MAR" came out of Malacca towards Goa and sailed along the north-east Sumatran state of Pasé, in the Strait of Malacca, she was caught in a tremendous storm and wrecked on some shoals causing numerous casualties. The ship did not survive the storm and sank during the night of 20 November 1511. Afonso de Albuquerque was saved in the most difficult conditions, using an improvised raft, he was rescued by the galleon TRINIDADE but the cargo was irremediably lost. FLOR DE LA MAR lies until today in the seabed. (one source gives around 400 people lost their lives in the loss of the ship.)
The ship and its location have been the cause of controversy, which states that the dispute with Indonesia Malaysia the salvage of the wreck in the Strait.
Robert Marx, an American treasure hunter is said to have spent 20 million dollars in the project to bring to the surface the riches of the wreck. According to his statements: "its the richest vessel ever lost at sea, with its hold loaded with 200 coffers of precious stones, diamonds from the small half-inch size to the size of a man's fist." Today, in Malacca, a replica of FLOR DE LA MAR houses the city's Sea Maritime Museum.
Mozambique 1963 2e sg555, scott441
Malaysia 2019 RM4.00 sgMS?, scott? (replica of FLOR DE LA MAR, more on the replica is given on)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16801
More info on Joao da Nova is given on: viewtopic.php?t=17870
Source: Historical Sketches of Watercraft on Stamps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frol_de_la_mar