Following the War of Succession (May 15th, 1702 – September 7th, 1714) the King of Spain (King Philip V) sent nine ships to the new world to retrieve his treasure which the Spanish had been stockpiling. The fleet picked up two prizes (two additional ships) during their voyage and also used them to carry treasure back. The Spanish also rented a twelfth ship called the Le Griffon, a French slave ship. The Spanish spread the massive amount of treasure among the 12 ships and, fully loaded, the flotilla set sail for Seville, Spain on July 24th, 1715.