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Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Inside the world of the shipwreck hunters (and the treasures yet to be found)
' Shimmering gold lies in wait… ' promises the website of treasure hunter Martin Bayerle. It is now 44 years since he discovered the ' billion dollar wreck ' of the RMS Republic, the White Star Liner that sank in 1909, three years before its famous sister ship, Titanic. The American adventurer, looking every inch the pirate in his eyepatch covering his left eye – which he lost the use of at 11 after an explosive accident – is still hoping to return to the wreck to recover an estimated 45 tons of gold that has lain 270ft beneath the Atlantic waves where vessel sank, about 50 miles south of Nantucket Island. But, perhaps somewhat hopefully, he is now seeking strangers to back an online crowdfunder to bankroll a proposed £372,000 salvage operation this year. The fund's total is currently £109,000, but the appeal's website claims it, 'now has the resources to plunder the Republic's riches and reward the team and himself with the biggest pay day in the history of maritime treasure hunting'. Shipwrecks, and specifically the hunt for them, is just having a moment after the San José, laden with gold, was found off the coast of Colombia, sparking an international row over who owned the booty. And the final resting place of Captain Cook's Endeavour was confirmed, off Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. 'It's possible that more investors will be tempted by this week's news reports of the gold coins seen aboard the wreck of the San José [the 300 year old Spanish galleon believed to be carrying more than £12 billion worth of gold] off the coast of Colombia,' says maritime historian Richard M Jones, referring to Bayerle's hopes. 'But for every treasure hunter who made a profit searching for treasure on the seabed, I could probably find you a thousand who lost everything.' Jones, 44 – who has published over 20 books on shipwrecks – admits there's 'an obvious romance' to the lure of sunken treasure. He drifts into a reverie himself, describing the jewel encrusted copy of the edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám – still believed to be sealed into a safe on Titanic – with 1,050 specially cut rubies, topazes and emeralds set into its gold and leather binding. Like many armchair adventurers, he fantasises about being involved in the discovery of 'holy grail' wrecks, such as the Portuguese carrack, Flor de la Mar, which sank in 1511 with the loss of 400 souls while transporting an estimated £1.9 billion of spoils home from the conquest of Malacca. Or, the more mysterious Spanish galleon San Miguel, which sank off Santo Domingo in 1551 carrying an unknown quantity of stolen Inca and Aztec artefacts looted by the conquistadors. Others are quickly skeptical of Bayerle's ambitions: '$500,000 wouldn't even begin to get that salvage operation started,' says Mensun Bound, the British maritime archaeologist, nicknamed the 'Indiana Jones of the Deep', who located Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea in 2022. 'It would cost millions to get that gold up, if it's even there.' After a lifetime of undersea exploration, Bound knows first hand that discovering gold isn't all it's cracked up to be. In 2001, he and his team excavated the Portuguese ship Espadarte, which sunk in 1558. 'We were pulling up Ming porcelain but finding [50kg of] gold was absolutely terrifying. Oh god. Like the novelist Jack London says, 'gold changes you'. It does. 'From one day to the next we became very furtive, untrusting. If any of the boat handlers knew what we were bringing up in our wetsuits they would have slit our throats and disappeared with the loot. We dug up the tiles in my bedroom, put the gold under them and tarred them over. For eight to nine months I slept over all that gold, which was very scary.' How much was it worth? 'I don't know. It wasn't ours.' He explains they were working under licence for a government he'd rather I don't name. Jones prefers to do his exploring from the safety of his local library in Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast. 'Although you need millions to find and salvage wrecks, you can do a lot of the detective work for the price of a few stamps, by combing your way through the national archives.' Obsessed with wrecks, since he watched the Titanic raised on TV aged 11 (and attending a Titanic convention to shake the hand of a survivor five years later), Jones began investigating shipwrecks in earnest in 2003, starting with the Great Gale of 1871. 'For a century people had said 70 people were killed on 30 boats. By studying the archives I found there were 28 boats and only 50 killed, including the lifeboatmen.' He was learning that, when it comes to the mysterious seas, 'People have a tendency to sensationalise, to let their imaginations take over because there is no evidence left to observe.' Hitting the jackpot Some treasure hunters hit the jackpot. Jones reminds me that in 1981, American treasure hunter Mel Fisher made worldwide headlines when he discovered the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, declared the world's most valuable shipwreck by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014. The Spanish galleon was sailing from the 'New World' to Spain, when it was hit by a hurricane and sank in 1622 with a cargo of 40 tons of gold and silver and around 70 pounds of Colombian emeralds. 'But Fisher paid a terrible price for his obsession with that treasure,' says Jones. 'In 1975 one of the boats involved in his quest sank. His son (Dirk, 21), daughter in law (Angel, 25) and a diver (Rick Gage, 21) all drowned.' Jones exhales. 'After that I guess he had to keep going or the loss would have been in vain. But how to do you celebrate the treasure after all that? Was it really worth it?' After an eight-year legal battle with the state of Florida, Fisher was able to keep the loot (then estimated to be worth £335 million) and appeared on the Johnny Carson show wearing the salvaged 'money chain', a gold necklace worth £74,000 reaching to the waist. But he was also fined for damaging the ecosystem of the seabed, and by 1998, pleaded guilty to selling counterfeited gold Spanish escudo coins, which he had claimed came from the wreck. He was ordered to pay £50,000 to customers who bought the fakes. Bound and Jones say the legal hassles alone make treasure hunting a poor investment choice. Jones points to the America Odyssey Marine Exploration team who went in search of the Royal Merchant in 2007. Nicknamed 'The El Dorado of the Seas' this English Merchant ship was lost off the Cornish coast in 1664 while carrying a rumoured £100,000 worth of gold (over $1.5 billion in today's money), 400 bars of Mexican silver (another $1 million) and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight. 'The operation was conducted in secret in the hope that the discovery would not be hijacked by other companies,' says Jones. 'Meantime, footage released of the treasure being flown to the United States showed boxes full of coins, but while the press were suggesting that this was the discovery of the Royal Merchant, the Spanish government realised that the team had actually located the warship Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, sunk in 1804 after a battle with the British.' In 2013, the Odyssey team had to hand 14.5 tons of treasure over to the Spanish after a court order was issued.' Jones chuckles. 'Imagine going to all the effort and expense only to lose the lot! And we still haven't found the Royal Merchant!' He goes on: 'One of the greatest treasures ship is the Blessing of Burntisland. It is believed to be an entire King's treasure loaded about the ferry in 1633. But it hit a squall, rolled over and sank. I first got interested in 1992 when I heard a news report that they were looking for it. The explorers were dressed up as King Charles I on the harbour mouth. 'In 1999 there were news reports that it had been found, there was a book and a website which has since been taken down. There is just no information. It leads me to believe they didn't find it – oops we got the wrong wreck. Nothing has been confirmed. Technically it is still out there for the taking. 'But because the Firth of Forth is a shipping channel, it has so many wrecks it would be very hard to figure out what's what. There is a liner that was converted to carry aircraft down there. There is so much and the Blessing is a wooden ship full of silver, it will be under the sea bed – the currents will have piled mud on mud.' Tales of heroic failure Jones stressed that the history of wreck hunting is littered with such tales of heroic failure. 'In 1986 Danish wreck hunter, Aage Jensen, found the wreck of the German submarine U-534, sunk by the RAF of the Danish island of Anholt in 1945.' Many believed she was carrying Nazi gold to South America.' But when they finally got her up, although there was a guide to South America, there was no Nazi gold. Instead they found 200 condoms!' He says that, 'U-534 is actually a wonderful historic find. It contained an enigma machine and an enigma decoded messages informing the crew that Hitler was dead.' The submarine became a museum in Birkenhead and a new visitor centre is planned for 2026. Jones also notes that 'treasure hunters can also forget that many of these wrecks are war graves'. 'The HMS Edinburgh, sunk by a German U-boat in 1942, went down with a crew of 58 and 465 gold bars, intended as payment from Russia to America for war equipment,' he added. British diver and treasure hunter Keith Jessop found it in 1981 – with $36 (£26.8) million going to the Russians and the other $36 million split between him and his secret investors. But Jones points out the headlines were all about the money and not the deceased sailors. 'Although people focus on the treasure, there is often more money to be made from the history,' says Jones. He points out that the Tudor navy's Mary Rose, raised from the seabed in 1982 – with an estimated 60 million viewers watching TV coverage – now makes over £3 million per year as a tourist attraction. 'In the long term, history can pay more than chests full of treasure,' he says. 'The same goes for good, liveable wrecks. If you really wanted a return on your investment you wouldn't gamble on salvage operations. You'd buy an interesting old ship, sink it on a pretty reef and start a local dive centre!' As an example, he points to the wreck of the Swedish ferry Zenobia, which sank on its maiden voyage from Cyprus in 1980. Now rated one of the world's top ten wreck dives, Jones says it has 'totally regenerated the local tourist industry'. Bound agrees that there might be some truth in that, but the man who has pulled a staggering array of 'wonders' from the deep – ranging from an Ancient Greek bronze helmet through to Ming vases and Tudor longbows – says there is nothing quite like the thrill of finding that your 'X' really does mark the spot. When he located Endurance, 100 years to the day after the polar explorer was buried in 1922, he 'felt the breath of Earnest Shackleton on the back of my neck'. He says there was 'crazy whooping and shouting on the bridge' of his search vessel. 'I had predicted the Endurance would be in very good condition, and she was. It was as if we had opened the freezer and there she was, just waiting for us.'
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Talk about striking gold! Amateur metal detectorist discovers an 18th-century ring in a field in Norfolk - and it's linked to a member of the British nobility
An amateur metal detectorist has found a stunning 18th-century ring in a field in Norfolk that has links to the British nobility. Malcom Weale, 53, unearthed the gold jewellery in a field near Thetford, Norfolk, after searching the area for 18 months. The detectorist was 'shaking' when he saw the ring glinting in the sunlight. Mr Weale told the BBC: 'I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance.' 'There it was, a glint of pure gold, shiny as the day it was dropped, six inches down in the mud. 'It's very rare to put a name to anything you find.' The treasure was crafted about 300 years ago to commemorate a member of the British nobility, called Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry. A hollowed-out part of the ring's exterior depicts what's thought to be a skull, while an inscription on the interior records his death date. The oval depression on the exterior contains jewellery enamel – a material made by fusing powdered glass or ceramic at high temperatures. Against the grayish background, black spots and lines have been used to create the squashed-looking skull, Live Science reports. Mr Weale made the find on August 9 last year, but it has only just been declared treasure having being studied through the Portable Antiquities Scheme by experts at the British Museum. It pays tribute to Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry, the 3rd Baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged 56. He is described as a 'notable sportsman' who liked 'rackety exploits'. The name and date of death of the baronet are inscribed on the inside of the ring. The inscription reads 'B.G. Bart. ob: 10. Oct: 1723. aet: 56,' which means 'B.G. Baronet, died 10th October 1723, aged 56', according to historian Helen Geake. Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry likely left orders for several of these 'mourning rings' to be made when he died, but only one has been found by Mr Weale. Who was Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry? Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy (1667-1723), 3rd Baronet of Harling, was a member of the British nobility. He was son of Norfolk painter Sir John Gawdy, who was deaf all his life and an early pioneer of sign language. Bassingbourne died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged 56. Records suggest he died unmarried and that his hereditary title went extinct. But who exactly owned this particular ring 300 years ago is still something of a mystery. Records suggest Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy was unmarried and without children – so perhaps it was owned by a close friend or associate. Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry was the son of famous painter Sir John Gawdy (1639-1699) who, along with his brother Framlingham, was born deaf and mute. The brothers hold the distinction of being the first known British born deaf persons to be educated and taught to read and write through sign language. John is recorded as a handsome and intelligent man with a notable talent for painting, for which he 'attained no small degree of celebrity', according to one record. But Bassingbourne (his son) remained unmarried and upon his death from his accident on October 10, 1723 the baronetcy became extinct. Both John and Bassingbourne were part of a successful and influential family of lawyers who flourished in Norfolk and Suffolk in the 16th and 17th century. The Gawdy family is said to have descended from Sir Brews Gawdey, a French knight who was captured during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). After being taken prisoner in 1352, it appears Sir Brews Gawdey was naturalised and settled in Suffolk, although the Gawdy Hall estate in Norfolk was built by the family in the 1500s. Queen Elizabeth I is thought to have stayed in Gawdy Hall in 1578. Mr Weale, who has been a detectorist since he was seven years old, said discovery of the historic ring 'turned out to be one of my best days'. 'Over the years I've found all sorts of treasures including a hoard of late Roman coins, gold rings and jewellery,' he told the BBC. 'Last year was a particularly good year for detecting as, thanks to the rainfall, the moisture levels in the ground were very high.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Inside world's only public park where visitors can mine and take home real diamonds, with some worth thousands
A unique park in Arkansas has gone viral as the only place in the world where visitors can search for real diamonds and take home what they find - and one recent tourist just walked away with a gem worth thousands. Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, sits atop a volcanic crater, where thousands of amateur treasure hunters flock every year with one goal in mind: to hit the jackpot. Since becoming a state park in 1972, the 37.5-acre site has become a must-do attraction for visitors far and wide, with 35,000 diamonds yielded to date. In April, David DeCook from Stewartville, Minnesota, was visiting the park with his family when he spotted what he thought was a piece of candy wrapper glinting in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a 3.81-carat brown diamond worth thousands of dollars. 'David DeCook of Minnesota just registered this HUGE, 3.81-carat, brown, octahedral diamond he found on the surface at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park,' a Facebook page titled Diamonds in Arkansas wrote at the time. Diamonds discovered at the park are typically white, yellow, or brown in color. But it isn't only diamonds found in the area, as the area is also rich in other minerals, including amethyst, garnet, agate, jasper, and quartz. Visitors can bring their own tools or rent equipment on-site, which are used in three primary ways to search for diamonds. The first is surface searching by walking the fields, the second is wet sifting using water to separate stones from soil, and, thirdly, dry sifting without water. The park also features a Diamond Discovery Center and a visitor center, where guests can learn about the area's geology and have their finds identified and registered by park staff. If a visitor does find a diamond, staff will examine, weigh, and certify the stone free of charge, reports the Sun. While the diamond field is the main attraction, Crater of Diamonds State Park also offers walking trails, picnic areas, a campground, a fishing lake, and a mining-themed waterpark called Diamond Springs. Entry to the diamond search area costs $15 for adults and $7 for children. Waterpark access ranges from $10 to $12. The park is located near Murfreesboro, a small town with a population of just over 1,600. In August 2024, an Arizona father and son found a two-carat diamond while visiting Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. Will Barnett and his son Marshall made the discovery on July 27 after his uncle encouraged them to head to the site. After filling up a few buckets with dirt, the pair went to the park's south wash pavilion to sift through. The father found the glittering gem at the bottom of his screen and said: 'Hey Marshall, you should take a look at this.' And what a precious stone it proved to be!
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Inside world's only public park where visitors can mine and take home real DIAMONDS - and some of them are worth thousands
A unique park in the U.S. is the only place in the world where visitors can search for real diamonds and take home what they find - and one recent tourist just walked away with a gem worth thousands. Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, sits atop a volcanic crater, where thousands of amatuer treasure hunters flock every year with one goal in mind: to hit the jackpot. Since becoming a state park in 1972, the 37.5-acre site has become a must-do attraction for visitors far and wide, with a whopping 35,000 diamonds yielded to date. In April, David DeCook of Stewartville, Minnesota, was visiting the park with his family when he spotted what he thought was a piece of candy wrapper glinting in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a 3.81-carat brown diamond worth thousands of dollars. 'David DeCook of Minnesota just registered this HUGE, 3.81-carat, brown, octahedral diamond he found on the surface at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park,' a Facebook page titled Diamonds in Arkansas wrote at the time. Diamonds discovered at the park are typically white, yellow, or brown in colour. But it isn't only diamonds found in the area, as the area is also rich in other minerals, including amethyst, garnet, agate, jasper, and quartz. Visitors can bring their own tools or rent equipment on-site, which are used in three primary ways to search for diamonds. The first is surface searching by walking the fields, the second is wet sifting using water to separate stones from soil, and, thirdly, dry sifting without water. The park also features a Diamond Discovery Center and a visitor center, where guests can learn about the area's geology and have their finds identified and registered by park staff. If a visitor does find a diamond, staff will examine, weigh, and certify the stone free of charge, reports the Sun. While the diamond field is the main attraction, Crater of Diamonds State Park also offers walking trails, picnic areas, a campground, a fishing lake, and a mining-themed waterpark called Diamond Springs. Entry to the diamond search area costs $15 (over £11) for adults and $7 (over £5) for children. Waterpark access ranges from $10 to $12. The park is located near Murfreesboro, a small town with a population of just over 1,600. The nearest major city is Texarkana, which sits on the Texas-Arkansas border and is known for its musical history and one-of-a-kind federal courthouse that straddles two states. The first is surface searching by walking the fields, the second is wet sifting using water to separate stones from soil (pictured), and, thirdly, dry sifting without water Just six miles from the park, Lake Greeson offers additional outdoor recreation, including boating, hiking, and fishing. In August 2024, an Arizona father and son found a two-carat diamond while visiting Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. Will Barnett and his son Marshall made the discovery on July 27 after his uncle encouraged them to head to the site. After filling up a few buckets with dirt, the pair went to the park's south wash pavilion to sift through. The father found the glittering gem at the bottom of his screen and said, 'Hey Marshall, you should take a look at this,' according to the park.
