The night was getting darker. The news reached the palace when candles were already lit in its chambers, and flew from hall to hall. Soon the guests who had gathered for the noisy celebration were already passing it on to each other “in the ear”: a prudently raised fan and a cocked hat bent towards it made them stand out from the crowd of initiates. “Did you hear, monsignor? They say that... I was just told in confidence... This is more incredible than seeing a perpetual motion machine in reality, more fantastic than the discovery of the philosopher's stone! A fabulous treasure! Revived Eldorado. And where? Here, next to us, just lend a hand. Yes, yes, three thousand four hundred tons of gold! Alas, it is deep under water...”
At these words, everyone - some with joy, others with sadness - involuntarily compared in their minds the number they heard with the size of their own fortune, everyone in their dreams saw themselves as the powerful owner of countless treasures and everyone wondered how to try to take possession of the treasure... Meanwhile, piles of gold , securely locked in metal chests and leather bags with the seals and coats of arms of their Catholic Majesties Ferdinand, Isabella and their successors, slept an age-old sleep at the bottom of Vigo Bay, waiting for the day when someone's brave hand would snatch them from the dead silence.
On October 24, 1702, an English cannon fired all day, blocking the passage of 23 French ships. In the evening, Admiral Manuel de Velasco stood on the captain's bridge of the flagship galleon Jesus-Mary-Joseph and watched through a telescope the rapid approach of the Anglo-Dutch squadron. There were no more than two miles left before them, and the distance was quickly closing. The Spanish admiral had to make a difficult choice: either allow the British to take possession of the treasure, or order the sinking. Choosing the former seemed unthinkable. Is it really possible that the bitterness of defeat will be added to the knowledge that the enemy has acquired such fabulous wealth?! The second way out was also not the best - it meant that 3,400 tons of precious metal would be lost forever.
There was no time left to think. Having looked through the telescope for the last time, Admiral Manuel de Velasco turned to the officer standing next to him and briefly gave the order. Having lit up the sky with a farewell flash, the sun set behind the jagged edge of the mountains. One after another, the beautiful galleons slowly sank into the water, carrying piles of gold into the eternal darkness of the sea depths, which people so often mistake for the second sun.()
Almost 400 years ago, a Spanish galleon sank in one of the naval battles off the coast of the Philippines. Recently, the wreckage of the ship and some of its cargo were discovered. Submarine archaeologists did not even suspect that valuable items of kitchen utensils from the Ming Dynasty, many clay jugs and cracked frames would lead to the trail of a terrible tragedy that claimed 350 lives in the depths of the sea.
| Frank Goddio |
Discovering a ship that sank centuries ago is not something every researcher can do. For a submariner archaeologist, such a find is a true reward for many years of searching and work. It’s like a treasure chest, only the role of the latter is played by new knowledge in the field of economics, technology and culture of times long past. For Frank Goddio, an experienced underwater archaeologist who is no stranger to dealing with lost ships, the San Diego galleon is a very special experience. His discovery “revealed” not only guns, jugs, nails - in general, not only dead matter. At the same time, it shed light on events that served as the clearest example of human insignificance, fully worthy of being included in the encyclopedia of stupidity, if there is one.
According to Frank Goddio, his acquaintance with the galleon "San Diego", which disappeared in Philippine waters on December 14, 1600, began long before the discovery of the ship - when he began to rummage through the archives, scrupulously studying the yellowed volumes with testimonies of the few survivors of this tragedy.
At first, the galleon's history did not promise anything mysterious. We have received exact information about the day and hour of his death. The number of crew, the number of guns, and the type of cargo are known today - even the location of the disaster: six miles from the island of Luzon. So, in any case, it appears in the voluminous protocol, which has been collecting dust for almost 400 years in the Spanish archives; it was compiled by a witness to the disaster, Admiral Antonio de Morga.
And now it’s better to give the floor to Frank Goddio: “The deeper I went into the details, the more confused I became. There was evidence of other survivors. And they adhered to their versions, which significantly diverged from the testimony of de Morga. Take, for example, the notes of the captain of the Dutch galleon “Mauritius” ", which almost sank next to the San Diego. It was from them that I learned that a real drama had played out on the San Diego, the origins of which were pettiness, incompetence and vanity that killed 350 people."
So what happened? Frank Goddio spent a lot of time comparing facts and materials, after which he made his own, informed conclusion. Now we have the opportunity to follow his conclusions, reliving the events that took place four centuries ago.
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Nowadays, they often try to slip a novice treasure hunter the most authentic map, on which the location of a treasure buried a long time ago by some famous pirate is marked with a cross. It happens that not every experienced specialist can distinguish it from the real one at first glance, so skillfully is the fake made. And if we are talking about the famous Henry Morgan, then you definitely need to keep your ears open. Why? Yes, because until recently not a single large treasure buried by the famous buccaneer was discovered, although the legends about his hidden riches have not allowed treasure seekers to sleep peacefully for the third century. However, in recent years the situation has begun to change.
Today, the wilds and coastal regions of Panama are a Mecca for the enterprising treasure hunter. Deposits of precious stones are discovered here, and gold veins are discovered in dry river beds. Here, during excavations, archaeologists come across ancient pottery and priceless gold jewelry. In ancient times, Panama was visited more than once by the Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs, who created magnificent works of art from precious stones, gold and silver. Many of these items are buried in caches almost throughout Panama. There are also many pirate treasures here that are still waiting to be discovered.
According to local press reports, two former American soldiers who once served in the Panama Canal Zone managed to secure a comfortable old age for themselves. In 1997, they returned to Panama and in a cave near the Chagres River, about 40 kilometers north of the city of Fort Clayton, they discovered a large treasure buried in the 17th century, possibly by Henry Morgan himself. Paradoxically, they were helped to discover the treasure by an old pirate map, bought from some market trader, who himself, it seems, did not know that it was genuine.
In addition to gold doubloons minted in Lima (Peru), the cache was full of gold and silver jewelry, varying in weight and size. Since the pirate booty was found in an area under US jurisdiction, the treasure was handed over to the American government, and those who found it received their due share, which turned out to be considerable.
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An amateur diver discovered a real treasure at the bottom of Tallinn Bay: for 8 centuries, a treasure chest with coins, ancient scales and merchant goods rested in the water. According to numismatists, the coins themselves cannot be called valuable, but the historical value of the belongings is invaluable. No one has ever found such a rarity in Northern Europe, reports Actual Camera.
For several centuries, the medieval treasure chest lay among the rocks and silt until it was first seen by scuba divers.
The lifting operation was not easy: the box barely yielded to the strength of four people.
It has rested here since the 13th century, and is now in the hands of scientists. They call the contents of the chest an unprecedented find. The most valuable thing in it is more than 200 coins.
“These coins helped date the entire contents of this suitcase, but for me, for example, these leather sheaths stood on end, some of them were almost completely preserved,” said Christa Sarve, curator of the archaeological collection of the Historical Museum.
These scabbards have been added to the museum collection. A little more than a dozen of these have been found in Estonia. Scientists handle each fragment with extreme care. The exhibits have just undergone conservation procedures - the unusual air environment can kill recent marine inhabitants.
The value of the found scabbard lies in its double-sided ornament. In the Middle Ages, workers simply could not afford such scabbards.
The museum workers were also amazed by the medieval scales, and a complete set of weights - the only one that has survived to this day. They served to determine the weight of silver and spices, which means that the owner of the sunken suitcase could well have been a merchant.
“The owner of this box is most likely an ordinary merchant. The fact that the suitcase originally had a separate box for coins once again suggests that we are dealing with a professional who kept the money separately. The chest served as a suitcase with which he traveled,” suggested Christa Sarve.
The path of the medieval merchant lay between Tallinn and the Swedish city of Visby - this is evidenced by two types of coins.
Now they will be part of an exhibition dedicated to the unusual find. Archeology lovers will be able to see it within a year.
British treasures from the bottom of the Atlantic
The most valuable and deepest-sea treasure of silver in history was discovered in the holds of the British merchant ship Gersoppa. The ship was destroyed by a direct hit from a German torpedo during World War II in the North Atlantic.
The 240 tons of silver in the ship's holds are valued at £150 million. There has never been such a huge cargo of silver in the history of the world hunt for underwater treasures. It has been known for a long time that somewhere off the Irish coast lies a ship sunk by the Germans, but only this summer the American company Odyssey Marine Exploration, specializing in the search and study of sunken ships, identified the exact location. The day before, the company announced that it had established: “Gersoppa” lies on the seabed 300 miles west of the coast of Ireland, the depth there reaches 4 thousand 700 meters.
In the winter of 1941, the Gersoppa, owned by the British India Shipping Company and chartered by the Ministry of War Shipping, was heading from Calcutta to Liverpool. On board is a cargo of tea, pig iron and, most importantly, silver: coins and bars belonging to the British government, as well as bars from private firms. The safety of this part of the cargo was also ensured by the government.
The ship sailed from the coast of Africa as part of a convoy of 8 ships under guard. When approaching the British Isles, a storm occurred and the Gersopp began to run out of fuel. And the captain decided to separate from the convoy and take refuge in the Irish harbor of Galway. This decision cost the lives of almost the entire crew of 85 sailors. On February 17, 1941, the Gersoppa was spotted by the German submarine U-101, and just 20 minutes after a direct torpedo hit, the British merchant ship sank. Some of the sailors took refuge in lifeboats, but all the boats, except one, were carried into the open ocean. Three crew members from the last boat rowed for two weeks in search of land and sailed to the southwest coast of England, but in the conditions of strong February winds and icy water, only one crew member managed to land on shore - second officer Richard Ayers. He was rescued by lighthouse workers in the town of Lizard, Cornwall. The sailor was subsequently awarded the Order of the British Empire for his heroism in trying to save his teammates. Richard Ayers lived a long life and died in 1992.
The dream of getting the treasure chests from the Gersoppa began to come true in January 2010, when the British government announced the results of the tender. The search and recovery of silver was entrusted to the American company Odyssey Marine Exploration. The parties signed an agreement according to which, if the ship is discovered, 80 percent of the valuable cargo will go to a private company. The total value of the 200 tons of silver at Gersopp is estimated at 150 million pounds, or $230 million. As shown by underwater filming made by the Americans, boxes with silver bars lie in the hold, but its hatches are open. This means that silver can be obtained using an underwater robot. The company says that work on lifting the valuable cargo from the Gersoppa will begin in the spring of 2012, when the weather in this part of the Atlantic is favorable for work. It is not possible to detect the remains of the crew members of the lost ship, the company reported.
Odyssey Marine Exploration has extensive and sometimes scandalous experience in discovering and recovering treasures from sunken ships. In 2008, a US court ruled that Odyssey Marine Exploration had to return to Spain a multimillion-dollar cargo of gold and silver coins recovered from a frigate that sank in 1804. The company claims that the UK government, in a desperate bid to find new sources of revenue, is asking private firms, including Odyssey Marine Exploration, to search for other British shipwrecks. American researchers are busy searching for two British battleships: the Sussex, which sank in 1694 off the coast of Gibraltar with a cargo of 40 tons of gold on board, and the Victory, the predecessor of Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship.
Scientists have found life in the Dead Sea
Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), together with specialists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, were able to conduct the first ever underwater expedition to the Dead Sea.
This body of water is the saltiest in the world, and diving here is fraught with danger, as a result of which experts have not yet risked diving.
It is worth noting that the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking, by about one meter per year. This is due to the fact that its main source, the Jordan River, is being stolen away by Jordanians, Palestinians and Israelis. Recently, experts have found that the sea is also fed from underwater sources. At a depth of up to thirty meters, experts discovered complexes of keys that occupy several hundred meters in length. The diameter of their craters reaches fifteen meters, and the depth is about twenty meters.
These formations have rather steep thin-layered walls, in which layers of sediments and minerals alternate.
In addition, new evidence has been received that the Dead Sea is not the most apt name. A wide variety of life has been found near the springs. Of course, there are no fish there, but the seabed is covered with various microorganisms. Some of them were discovered for the first time, while others had never before been found in such a salty environment.
What treasures are hidden in the depths of the sea?
Throughout the history of human exploration of the expanses of water, ships created by people have sank more than once along with the cargo transported on them. Therefore, for many centuries, the depths of the sea have served as a real treasury, and thousands of brave treasure hunters are trying to lift the coveted jewels from the bottom. What treasures are considered the most famous?
Treasures of the Azores
A real Mecca for treasure hunters from all over the world is the Azores: Jorge, Terceira and Pico. In the middle of the last millennium, they served as the main transshipment point for ships departing for various destinations, so hundreds of ships are buried in the waters near them. So, it was here in 1594 that the Portuguese ship Chagas sank, carrying treasures worth two and a half million ducats at that time. The ship has still not been found, so treasure hunters continue to make expeditions to the bays of the Azores in the hope of one day getting a real fortune from the bottom. True, this will be very difficult - the sea waters in this place hide rocks underneath, which make it difficult to search for metal using modern equipment.
Treasures of the Caribbean
There are many legends about the treasures of the Caribbean Sea - the famous refuge of pirates. Thus, not far from Haiti in the 17th century, as many as 16 ships of Spain’s Golden Fleet sank, carrying enormous wealth on board. Several times, successful travelers came across these treasures - for example, the Englishman William Phipps managed to lift one and a half million dollars worth of gold and silver from the bottom, and the American Herbert Humphrey enriched himself with 15 gold bars weighing half a kilogram each, 10 gold nuggets and 177 silver bars. However, according to scientists, all this is only a small part of the “Golden Fleet”; the rest of the treasures remained lying in the abyss of the Caribbean Sea.
No less famous among treasure hunters is the Caribbean island of Juventud (formerly called Pinos). According to legend, it was on it that the most famous pirates of all times hid their loot. Treasure hunters often come to these places to try to find riches left behind by Francis Drake, Lafitte and other bandits, and sometimes they really get lucky. So, in the middle of the 20th century, one American was lucky to find a whole chest of gold and jewelry.
Lucky treasure hunters
Despite the fact that getting underwater treasure is not so easy, some lucky people are still lucky. Let us give an example of several famous treasures that were nevertheless found.
Not long ago, an archaeologist and submariner from France, Franck Goddio, was able to lift cargo from the Spanish ship San Diego from the bottom. It went to sea only once, back in 1600, to attack a Dutch ship, but immediately sank due to command errors. The treasures lay at the bottom of Manila Bay for four hundred years, and are now included in the list of the most interesting and expensive finds in the history of treasure hunting.
Another legendary treasure hunter is Melvin Fisher. He was able to retrieve from the ocean floor off the southern coast of Florida the cargo of the Spanish galleon Atocha, which sank after hitting reefs in the mid-17th century. When the ship was lifted onto land, it turned out that it was loaded with a huge amount of jewelry, gold, silver, and rare jewelry, the total value of which was several hundred million dollars.
The most expensive underwater treasure found to date is the cargo of a British ship that sank in 1942 after an attack by a German submarine, discovered not long ago off the coast of Guyana. For half a century it lay at a depth of about 250 meters. According to scientists, the ship left a European port and was supposed to deliver jewelry to New York to pay for Lend-Lease to the US treasury, but never reached its destination. After assessing the British ship raised from its cargo, its cost was announced - it amounted to 2.6 billion pounds.
Treasures of the seas have always attracted seekers, and to this day they are hunted by a large number of people who want to find the treasures of ancient ships sunk in the depths of the seas. Shipwrecks have occurred at all times. The waters of the seas near Indonesia are dotted with hundreds of ships that have been wrecked.
These ships transported gold, precious stones, and porcelain from the Netherlands, China, and Portugal. The seas along the coast of South America also have many wreckage points. In addition, there are a huge number of legends about treasures hidden by sea pirates in various places. All these stories do not leave indifferent seekers of adventure and untold wealth, who, with the help of maps, look for treasures on uninhabited islands, sink to the seabed in search of wrecked ships.
Quite a few fiction books have been written and films made about treasures. But there is a reason for talk about precious finds; in reality, treasures exist. They are found as a result of long searches or completely by accident. Thus, treasure hunter Mel Fisher became famous throughout the world, who, over sixteen years of persistent searches, “caught” valuable things worth about two hundred million US dollars from the depths of the sea.
In addition, ordinary citizens, while renovating their own houses, digging gardens, or simply doing everyday things, sometimes find completely unexpected wealth. Many people have made treasure hunting their profession and, armed with historical information, are looking for lost treasures. So the Frenchman Henri-Roger Laudon decided, at all costs, to find the treasures hidden by the famous 17th century pirate Surcouf. Henri Roger went to the island of Barbados, where the pirate was captured.
For a long time, the seeker had to carefully study the island and a bay on the east coast revealed to him the remains of several ancient ships. The wreckage of one ship looked very much like Surcouf's ship. However, nothing could be found near them except the ship's anchor. Having become interested in it, Loudon discovered that it was entirely cast from gold and silver alloys and weighed more than 500 kg.
Not only ordinary seekers want to find what they want, but sometimes entire states. So the whole world remembers how in 1981 the Soviet Union entered into an agreement with an English company to recover sunken valuables from the cruiser Edinburgh, which had rested for forty years at the bottom of the sea kingdom.
The British could not do without the help of the Soviet Union since the shipwreck occurred in Soviet territorial waters. The agreement provided that all costs for lifting and searching for gold would be borne by the English side, and the entire lifted cargo would be divided between the USSR and Great Britain as 2/3 and 1/3. The search work turned out to be very lengthy, but still, in early September, the first gold bar was lifted aboard the ship. This occasion became truly solemn, even the press was notified of the number of the bar.
Before the onset of a stormy winter, 431 ingots of precious metal valued at forty million pounds sterling were raised to the surface of the sea. The second expedition of treasure hunters headed to the area where the ship sank already in 1986.
Through the efforts of this team, 345 kilograms of gold bars were lifted. The cost of such a catch was quite a large sum of three million pounds sterling. Private treasure hunters, of course, have not yet found such treasures.
Countless treasures that suddenly fall on the head of an applicant will always excite the imagination of any person. After all, at all times there have been valuables that were surprisingly hidden or lost. And our compatriots still dig up bottles of old money in their gardens.
