Despite already being deemed unsafe, she served to support the conquest of Malacca, then the largest commercial center of East of Indias[clarification needed]. 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[clarification needed] from the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) to the king of Portugal.[4] When the Flor do 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 storm and wrecked on some shoals, causing numerous casualties.[5] 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, but the cargo was irremediably lost.[6] Today the Flor do Mar lies in the seabed.
The ship and its location have been the cause of controversy, which states that the dispute with Indonesia Malaysia the salvage of the Strait.[clarification needed] Robert Marx, an American treasure hunter, is said to have spent 20 million dollars attempting to recover the riches of the wreck. According to his statement, "it's 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."[citation needed] Today a replica of the Flor do Mar is housed in Maritime Museum of Malacca.