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The 400th anniversary of the building of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha went unnoticed last year, but the Spanish galleon will no doubt be remembered next year, on the 400th anniversary of its destruction.

The heavily armed Atocha was intended to guard the rest of the Spanish fleet as the ships sailed home from South America via the Caribbean, carrying passengers, provisions, tax revenues, and treasure that had been plundered from the colonies.

Its 20 cannons might well have deterred pirates, but they offered scant protection from the almighty hurricane that thrashed the fleet in the Florida Straits on 5 September 1622. By the following morning, eight ships had gone down, including the Atocha, which took with it some 260 souls and a cargo valued at up to half-abillion dollars.

Spain attempted to recover the sunken gold, silver and emeralds (or rather, a small army of unfortunate slaves did), but further storms scattered the wreckage of the Atocha until nobody was quite sure where they should search anymore. Then, in 1985, it was found by the American treasure hunter, Mel Fisher.

The silver bar pictured here was raised from the ship and will be offered at Heritage Auctions’ 6-7 May sale in Dallas. You’ll need both money and muscle to take it home: similar bars have brought $30,000-60,000 in recent years and, tipping the scales at nearly 32kg, the thing is heavy enough that it’s a wonder the Atocha didn’t go down sooner.