Treasure Hunters Won in Court to Harvest Spanish Wealth
Updated: 2010-07-31 20:01:00
By Cammy Clark - The Miami Herald
In 1985 aboard the Dauntless salvage boat, Jimmy Buffett sang atop a stack of silver bars while treasure hunter Mel Fisher and his crew swilled champagne to celebrate their jaw-dropping discovery. fter 16 years that included a U.S. Supreme Court victory and the death of his son, Fisher's dream had come true.In waters 55 feet below them, divers Andy Matroci and Greg Wareham had found a virtual reef made of chests full of silver coins, silver plates, silver...
In early July we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the return of the SS Great Britain to Bristol. Yesterday was a more somber anniversary – the 40th anniversary of “Black Tot” Day. Ceremony to mark ending of rum tot at HMS Victory One of the blackest days in the history of naval seamen – the [...]
Last summer, the Sapphire Princess, a cruise ship operating on the South-West coast of Alaska, arrived in the port of Vancouver with a 70 foot long fin whale impaled on its bulbous bow. Wednesday, almost exactly a year later, another dead whale, an adult female humpback measuring 43 feet in length, was found pinned to [...]
Two weeks ago the remains of an 18th century ship were found in the excavation of the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. On Thursday Warren Riess, an archaeologist specializing in marine history, speculated that the ship was most likely a brigantine; the two-masted workhorse of the coastal trade. “It’s one of the ships that helped build [...]
Photos of the damage to the VLCC MV M. Star. Click on the thumbnails above for larger images. Questions Swirl About Damaged Japanese Tanker Shipping officials said Thursday that they were examining the hull of a Japanese oil tanker that was mysteriously damaged this week as it traversed a strategically vital waterway between Iran and the [...]
From The Shetlands News
A fully restored bronze cannon, salvaged from a Spanish Armada ship, is to go on show for the first time in the Shetland Museum and Archives as of Monday.The cannon was discovered off Fair Isle and salvaged by a team of marine archaeologists, led by Dr Colin Martin of St Andrews University in 1970.It belonged to the El Gran Grifón which ran aground at Stromshellier in Fair Isle in 1588 after the Spaniards lost the mighty sea battle against the English fleet and...
This weeks photo comes to us via boston.com/bigpicture. Waves batter a merchant vessel stranded along the coast during a heavy storm in Valparaiso City, Chile, 121 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago on July 6, 2010. (REUTERS/Eliseo Fernandez) Digg this! Share this on Facebook Post on Google Buzz Share this on LinkedIn Email this to [...]
By on Martin - National Post
The roving remote camera Little Bruce drifted drunkenly over the bow of Investigator on Thursday, recording high-definition video just centimetres from the wrecked ship’ anchor chains and upper-deck planking scratched into rubble by 155 years of passing ice.The images were a bit shaky because of a faulty joystick but, hey, just a week ago no one figured they’ even find this historic ship, which sank in eight metres of frigid water in 1855 after...
By Erik Sanzenbach - St. Tammany News
What do you do with ingots of silver and copper that date back to 1622, and were discovered by treasure hunters at the bottom of the ocean 360 years later?If you are Jack Mangé, you get some of that treasure from the deep and start making beautiful jewelry.That is what Mangé has been doing since 1989, when he approached famous treasure hunter Mel Fisher with the jewelry idea. Ever since then the former marketing specialist turned jeweler has...
The HMS Investigator was found in remarkably good shape in only 11 meters of water in Mercy Bay along the northern coast of Banks Island in Canada’s western Arctic. The image to the left is from a lithograph of the ship trapped in the ice in 1854 while the image to right is from the [...]
12th Annual West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous The annual West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous (R2KX) is the first weekend in August at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. The event is free and open to the public (donations to cover park fees gladly accepted). Bring your home-made kayak or canoe or just come and [...]
The Bristol Harbour Festival begins today and runs through the weekend. It is expected to attract over 200,000 people and is one of the biggest free events in the UK. In addition to Brunel’s SS Great Britain, on permanent display in Bristol, the harbor will be visited by the three-masted schooner Kathleen and May, as [...]
By Alan Clayson - The Independant
One afternoon earlier this summer, in a Somerset meadow, David Crisp stumbled upon 52,000 Romano-British coins, the second-largest such hoard of its kind ever unearthed – and presently on exhibit in the British Museum. Almost 800 of these were minted during the reign of Carausius, which lasted from around AD286 until AD293, the first ruler since the conquest in AD43 to govern Britain without the authority of Rome – and a much-overlooked historical...
By David W. Dunlap - he New York Times
The 18th-century vessel unearthed two weeks ago in Lower Manhattan has begun to emerge from the mist of history.She was most likely a brigantine; the two-masted workhorse of the coastal trade, ranging perhaps from New England (where she might have picked up lumber needed by an ever-growing New York City) as far south as Barbados (from which she would have carried sugar and molasses to feed a growing population).“It’ one of the ships that...
The HMS Investigator, which was abandoned in the Arctic during a 19th century rescue mission has been found by archaeologists in Canada in Mercy Bay. Canada’s government says the discovery bolsters its claim to sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, which is feared threatened by increased shipping. The Investigator was abandoned while searching for the Franklin expedition, itself [...]
Lloyds List is reporting that the Skimmer “A Whale” which failed to collect significant amounts of oil in the Gulf of mexico from the BP spill is now en-route to the major spill in Dalian, China. The more concentrated oil on the water at Dailin may be better suited to the converted OBO’s skimming capabilities. Thanks to [...]
After more than 30 years of racing around old boats, Dick McNish and his partners at PCYC have created a legendary event for classic yachts to gather at on the West Coast. This year’s 33rd edition happens on Saturday, July 30 out of our Channel Islands Harbor. Early arrival I couldn’t see the name of [...]
Depending on which of the various news reports you read, the MOL 314,016 dwt tanker M. Star suffered either an explosion, was hit by a grenade or was struck by a freak wave caused by an earthquake while transiting the Straits of Hormuz. An intriguing and developing story. Giant Supertanker Suffers Mystery Explosion Reports just in that the [...]
By David W. Dunlap and Fred R. Conrad - The New York Times
Whatever the antique vessel was, and whenever in the 18th century it arrived on the Lower Manhattan waterfront, one thing can be said almost certainly: Its journey in was easier than its journey out.The vessel was discovered by workers on July 13, about 20 to 30 feet below street level, during the excavation of a site bounded by West, Washington, Liberty and Cedar Streets. This area — which had not been disturbed during the construction...
By Zoe Murphy - BBC News
Next month, archaeologists will begin work off the coast of Kenya to identify a wreck believed to have belonged to the man some historians believe inspired the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. Chinese archaeologists, who arrived in the African country this week, are hoping that the shipwreck could provide evidence of the first contact between China and east Africa.Setting sail more than 600 years ago, Zheng's armada made seven epic voyages, reaching south-east Asia, the...
A team of scientists are about to set off on an expedition to map the Titanic in 3D. The expedition to the site 2 1/2 miles beneath the North Atlantic is billed as the most advanced scientific mission to the Titanic wreck since its discovery 25 years ago. The 20-day expedition is to leave St. [...]
From aul Fraser Collectibles
In 1912, during a national coal strike, the Titanic's owners resorted to desperate measures. Sometimes it's the 'stories behind the stories' which provide the most interesting items of memorabilia.Such is the case with the story of the RMS Titanic which, after striking an iceberg four days into its voyage on April 14, 1912, remains one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.Most people are familiar the story - famously retold in director James...
Sonar scanners have revealed the final resting places of four ancient shipwrecks, off the coast of the Italian island of Zannone. The remains of the trading vessels, dating from the first century BC to the 5th-7th century AD, are up to 165 meters underwater, a depth that preserved them from being disturbed by fishermen over [...]
By Steve Szkotak - Associated Press/Breitbart
A team of scientists will launch an expedition to the Titanic next month to assess the deteriorating condition of the world's most famous shipwreck and create a detailed three-dimensional map that will "virtually raise the Titanic" for the public. The expedition to the site 2 1/2 miles beneath the North Atlantic is billed as the most advanced scientific mission to the Titanic wreck since its discovery 25 years ago. The 20-day expedition is to leave...
From BBC News Guernsey
The director of Guernsey Museums has called on people outside the States to help preserve and exhibit the Gallo-Roman wreck Asterix in the island.Dr Jason Monaghan said Asterix is the most historically valuable Roman artefact in northern Europe.He said a public private partnership could be the way forward.Dr Monaghan said: "It's a very exciting idea, but Guernsey is actually quite a small place and maritime archaeology projects are expensive."He said: "What we're saying...
Chinese archaeologists are searching for a 15th century shipwreck that will provide evidence of commerce between China and Kenya. The sunken ship is believed to have been part of a mighty armada commanded by Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He, who reached Malindi in 1418. According to Kenyan lore, reportedly backed by recent DNA testing, a [...]
By Chris Shannon - Cape Breton Post
The coastal areas of Cape Breton Island have held secrets for hundreds of years as military powers looked to stabilize their colonies and migrants yearned to begin a new life in the New World only to chart a course that prematurely ended so many lives on the rocky Atlantic shore. hipwreck charts are dotted with spots up and down the coastline of Nova Scotia, particularly its northern most point of Saint Paul Island in Cape Breton.Underwater explorers...
By an Rice - Guardian.co.uk
It's another chapter in the now familiar story of China's economic embrace of Africa. Except that this one begins nearly 600 years ago.A team of 11 Chinese archaeologists will arrive in Kenya tomorrow to begin the search for an ancient shipwreck and other evidence of commerce with China dating back to the early 15th century. The three-year, £2m joint project will centre around the tourist towns of Lamu and Malindi and should shed light on a largely unknown...
With California stuck in a foggy cycle so far this Summer it was close to a miracle. At precisely 4:35 PM the clouds dissipated and the sun made a grand appearance for the July edition of our monthly sailing get together; The Frolic, our social sailing get-together we hold on the full moon Saturday of [...]
From Yle.fi
The provincial government of the Åland Islands has imposed a ban on diving in the area where a team of divers earlier this month found what could be the world's oldest drinkable champagne. The Finnish Coast Guard is patrolling the area to keep prevent any unauthorized dives of the 18th century wreck. The ban in a 30 square kilometre zone is to be in effect until the end of December, according to an online report by the newspaper Ålandstidningen. The paper added that the...
By teve Zucker - Charlevoix Courier
With a few pen strokes Monday, Charlevoix resident Steve Libert moved one big step closer to finding out if a shipwreck he found at the bottom of Lake Michigan in 2001 is in fact the long lost French vessel the Griffon.Sitting in the Charlevoix City Council Chambers and in the presence of a few family members, and Charlevoix Mayor Norman “Boogie” Carlson Jr., Libert signed documents formalizing a deal between his organization, the State of...
You know it’s summertime when Concerts by the Sea is underway at Peninsula Park, here in Channel Islands Harbor. There are two ways to enjoy the shows. You can arrive by car, bicycle or walk to the park and sit on the grass with your picnic supper. Or, if you have a boat, you can [...]