I detect the history: I've visited archives up & down the entire US East Coast, Bahamas, Jamaica, Kew, The Hague, etc. Have yet to go to Seville or S.American archives.
Nice gold finds!!! Pays to be where it's at, as for the weather factor, timing is important too. That is quite a WOW pic of gold there, what you sort of picture in your mind as Florida treasure hunting on the coast.
Just watched the CNN video on your finds yesterday. Fantastic! You're making me itch for the beach again. Makes me a proud TNetter to know I'm part of the same forum as you guys
I did a shore dive on the Urca de Lima yesterday ..vis. was great.
Hope your doing well.
I stopped by your site and saw you on the deep stuff with a smaller boat on the ballast pile.. that's working it!
Nice, I'd be thrilled to find the smallest piece from that group. No doubt there are more pockets out there holding good stuff. Here's hoping for more gold!
I detect the history: I've visited archives up & down the entire US East Coast, Bahamas, Jamaica, Kew, The Hague, etc. Have yet to go to Seville or S.American archives.
I believe that is the burning question everyone would like answered definitively. Last I checked, the most conventional wisdom points to the Nieves (Ubilla's 192-ton Portuguese-built patache: Nuestra Señora de las Nieves y las Animas). Five passengers and 2 sailors died with this shipwreck.
It was never salvaged by the Spanish & it was privately owned by Soto Sanchez & co-owner/master Dutchman Esteban Pieters. Sanchez abandoned the area by October 1715; he was just happy to be alive & didn't want to bother further. Since it was private & was likely used as a communications tender, most of the booty is likely to be contraband, possibly never on any manifests, making it more mysterious & exciting.
However, it is possible that pirates DID set up a salvage camp there in 1716 (according to testimony of Joseph de Pradar).
If that's the right ship, there should be evidence of 12 guns somewhere on the site.
(someone correct me if I'm wrong about any of this!)