En route she called at the English port of Falmouth, unaware that the French had since invaded the Netherlands and proclaimed the Batavian Republic as a client state, compelling the Dutch to declare war on the British.

Towards the end of the month she fell in with and captured the Spanish ship Dom Francisco Xavier,[7] which was carrying a cargo of copper, cocoa, and other goods[7] and reportedly was worth some £160,000 in prize money.

[4][7] In an exuberant mood because of the capture of the nearby Dom Francisco Xavier, Drew went below to fetch an alcoholic beverage with which he and Allen could toast his success.

[4][5][7] Before the crew could take action,[4][5] Braak listed heavily to one side, allowing water to pour into the ship's hold through open hatches.

[7] With the wreck lying on the bottom of Delaware Bay, rumours soon began to circulate concerning the amount of treasure Braak purportedly carried when she sank, with estimates of the value reaching $500 million.

[4] A number of artifacts were raised during the 1980s, but maritime archaeologists criticised these efforts for their disregard for proper archaeological methods, and for their discarding of anything not considered inherently valuable.

[9] Only a small amount of coin was recovered, worth considerably less than the cost of the large number of salvage attempts that had been undertaken over the years.