On the seabed lies a lot of uncharted.
Ancient mechanism, sauce of fish blood, a ring with a huge emerald rock of silver bars… What else lurks at the bottom of the ocean, where in the history of mankind has sunk about 3 million vehicles.
Lucky Fisher
King Philip IV of Spain, was angry: with only one Galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, on September 6, 1622 flown on coral reefs off the coast of Florida, to the bottom went more than 40 tons of precious cargo — gold, silver, precious stones and weapons. The same fate befell the other eight ships, coming from the Spanish colonies of the New world to the metropolis. Total losses — about 550 people and values of more than 2 million pesos. Was immediately fitted out an expedition for the rescue of cargo. It would seem that everything has conspired: depth of flooding Atocha was only 16 yards, and had an accurate reference point — sticking on the surface of the wreckage of the mizzen mast. But while captain Gaspar de Vargas slaves-divers reached the place, the storm leveled the remains of the ship with the ocean surface. The search was unsuccessful. Three years later the attempt was repeated, and again to no avail.
Apparently, to raise the story from the bottom of oblivion was supposed to be Mel Fisher — a man who devoted his life to finding Spanish Silver fleet. Search engines according to the documents, tried to at least designate the search area. Occasionally something is found: a huge anchor, a handful of gold coins, set in silver… In 1975 — bronze cannons from the Atocha, but the main cargo. It took ten years for the magnetometer to search the boat recorded the concentration of metal. The rock to which approached the ship, was sintered together with a silver bullion — the main part of the cargo Atocha. We found only 3200 emeralds, 150,000 silver coins and over 1000 silver bars — each weighing more than 40 kg.
The search for the costly “lucky” Fischer — back then, in 1975, his son Dirk with his wife were in a shipwreck on search tug and died. Nevertheless, grandson Sean continued the family business and led the company Mel Fisher’s Treasures treasure seeking Silver fleet near the island of Key West, Florida. He believes that the findings will last for a long time: “somewhere nearby lie the three ships of this fleet.” In July 2011, divers Fisher was found a gold ring with a 10 carat emerald valued at $500,000.
Silver and submarine
Released from Calcutta in convoy British merchant ship SS Gairsoppa was carrying to the UK tea, iron and silver. In February 1941, during a storm he fell behind on support and was torpedoed by a German submarine. 300 km South-West of Ireland the ship sank. 85 people survived, only one — mate Richard Ayres, made it to shore on a lifeboat after 13 days of solitary swimming.
The ship sank at a very great depth of 4,700 m. nevertheless, hope to get precious cargo from a record depth exposition. The UK has signed a contract with the American company Odyssey Marine Exploration, specializing in the instep resting on the seabed of the goods. In 2011, 70 years after the shipwreck, the surface was raised about 50 t of silver (over 1200 bars), accounting for about a fifth part of the cargo. The company is very interested in the contract (conditions, she receives 80% of found), continued work. In 2013, the success was repeated: with the depth got more than 1500 silver bars. They cost about $35 million.
Approximately 160 km from the place of work, at a depth of 2500 m, the Americans had discovered another British ship also was put to the bottom by a German submarine, but during the First world war. The Mantola cargo is estimated at about $19 million.
Treasures Of The Black Sam
Whydah Gally — the first pirate ship discovered underwater treasure hunters, but it is notable not only for this. The ship belonged to a kind champion of pirates — Samuel Bellamy, nicknamed Black Sam, whitewheat total for the year to take on Board the ship in the Caribbean more than 50 ships. A three-masted sailing ship, the Whydah Gally was captured in March 1717. Sam made it his flagship. On it though and kept all the loot for a year of treasures. Said catalyst of the labors of Samuel was love. And so, when he had already turned the ship North, to throw the extracted wealth to the feet of the beloved, the sailboat drifted to shore and washed up on the shoal. The ship turned over and collapsed. Of the 146 people only two survived.
Famous American treasure hunter Barry Clifford discovered the Whydah Gally in 1982 — just a few hundred meters from the beach of Cape cod on the coast of Florida. The surface was raised to wealth by about $15 million: Golden sand, ancient coins and weapons. But one of the most valuable finds is considered a normal ship’s bell. When the bell is cleared of old growths, it clearly read the inscription “The Whydah 1716 Galle”, fully confirming the guesses of researchers.
Instead of diamonds elephant tusks
Find sunken treasure by chance, little chance, they are too deeply “buried”, but with the Portuguese ship Bom Jesus, it is so. Geologists of the international Corporation, specializing in diamond production in 2008 unexpectedly stumbled upon the wreckage of an ancient ship off the coast of Namibia, near the skeleton Coast. The remains were buried under an impressive layer of sand in place of man-made sea lagoon, turned now in salt lake. With bottom has been raised many Spanish, Portuguese and Venetian gold coins elephant tusks, copper ingots and weapons. The total value of recovered cargo is estimated at more than $13 million Bom Jesus, lost in 1533 on the way to India, is one of the oldest finds of underwater treasure hunters.
The sauce from the fish blood, wine, 150-year-old astronomical mechanism
In addition to finds that have permanent value (precious metals and stones), it is found that is of particular value only with time. So, in 1900, in the Aegean sea, near the island of Antikythera, a Greek diver was found the skeleton of an ancient ship. Among the wreckage was an amazing mechanism, the creation of which scientists have dated to approximately 100 BC the Device had a wooden body on which the front and rear were placed the bronze dials with arrows, and within about 30 gears. According to the researchers, “a lot of the Antikythera mechanism” was used to calculate the motion of heavenly bodies.
In 2015, the Ligurian sea, was found a Roman ship in half, plying, presumably, between Rome and Cadiz and carrying a highly appreciated sauce garum. Seasoning prepared from fish blood and guts. Ingredients within a few months aged in a stone bath in the sun. Because of the peculiar smell manufacturer haruma in the cities was forbidden. The sauce was sealed in a vessel and delivered to the Roman province. To evaluate the taste of the delicacy archaeologists did not ever of the sea has left only traces of it.
But the wine is the 150-year old came to us in one piece. A bottle found in 2011 among the wreck Mary Celestia, during the Civil war in the United States carrying cargo for the Confederate army and sank in 1864 off the coast of Bermuda. Tasting “aged” beverage held in 2015 at the culinary festival in South Carolina. According to the sommelier, who was in the bottle of muddy yellowish-gray liquid to taste like a mixture of gasoline, vinegar and salt water.
