Season 2 of Netflix’s Outer Banks has it all: wild teen, intricate interpersonal relationships, and a slew of unexpected twists. The most intriguing aspect of the show, however, stays the same as it did in Season 1: The Royal Merchant. Viewers may assume the highly sought-after treasure to be a fictitious element produced for the show, but it isn’t quite that simple. Is the Royal Merchant treasure on the Outer Banks real?

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The Royal Merchant is a well-known historical relic that everyone on the island is aware of in the series – a ship that sank in the 1800s on the Outer Banks. In addition to the fact that there were no known survivors from the catastrophe (except for Denmark Tanney, who the Pogues found did make it out alive), rumour has it that $400 million in British gold sank with the passengers. The plot centres around John B.’s quest to recover the gold and, as a result, learn what happened to his missing father.

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What’s the gist of it all? It’s a made-up narrative designed to entice people to watch an exciting and adventurous Netflix series. It may, however, have some basis in truth. There was a ship called The Merchant Royal, but instead of the 1800s in North Carolina, it sank in 1641 off the southern coast of England. Heavily laden with gold and silver, the ship was called “El Dorado of the Seas” by the Telegraph. A fishing boat recovered an anchor believed to be from the Merchant Royal off the Cornish coast in March 2019.

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While the finding may have sparked the interest of those who hoped it would take them to the gold, co-founder of Cornwall Maritime Archaeology, Mark Wilburn, warned that searching for the treasure would be a hazardous and fruitless endeavour.

It’s a good thing the Pogues don’t mind a little danger.