Throughout history, the ocean has engulfed a variety of treasures, including drowned cities, exotic sea life, and priceless materials. The ocean also includes rich resources such as oil, gas, and minerals. Our grasp of history, culture, and science has improved as a result of the largest discovery of ocean treasures, which has also created new opportunities for exploration and learning.
Many ocean treasures have been discovered throughout history, but here are seven of the largest discovered ocean treasure.
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
Location: Coast of Key West, Florida
Discovered: 1985
Value: $500 Million
A Spanish galleon named Nuestra Senora de Atocha sunk in 1622 off the coast of Florida. It was part of a fleet of ships returning to Spain from the New World with gold, silver, and other valuables.
On September 6, 1622, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha sunk during a storm. Mel Fisher and his crew of treasure seekers found Nuestra Senora de Atocha. Fisher spent 16 years looking for the ship until discovering it in 1985. The discovery was viable by new technologies, such as magnetometer and side-scan sonar. They came into a cache of gold, silver, jewelry, and other priceless goods. The treasure’s overall worth was put at about $500 million.
One of history’s greatest treasures is assumed to be the finding of Nuestra Senora de Atocha.
The RMS Titanic
Location: North Atlantic Ocean
Discovered: 1985
Value: $190-200 Million
During her first journey from Southampton to New York City, the British passenger liner RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. One of the greatest maritime catastrophes in history, the tragedy claimed the lives of nearly 1,517 passengers and crew.
Inaccessible for more than 70 years, the Titanic’s exact position was only uncovered in 1985 by a crew under the direction of oceanographer and deep-sea researcher Robert Ballard. Technology advancements, such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) outfitted with cameras and sonar to investigate the ocean floor, allowed for the finding.
The finding of the Titanic’s debris was a significant scientific and cultural event that generated new inquiry and studies into the tragedy. Around 370 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of Newfoundland, on the ocean bottom, at a depth of roughly 12,500 feet (3,800 meters), the wreckage was discovered.
There were several valuable items on board the Titanic, including jewelry, cash, and other personal belongings of wealthy passengers. In today’s currency, the total value of these items is estimated to be in the millions of dollars. However, it is important to note that the focus of the Titanic’s legacy is not on any treasure that may have been lost but on the tragedy of the lives that were lost and the lessons learned about ship safety and disaster response.
The SS Central America
Location: Coast of South Carolina
Discovered: 1985
Value: $100 Million
On September 12, 1857, a steamship named the SS Central America went down in a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina. The ship sank while transporting a significant amount of gold from the California Gold Rush, causing the death of hundreds of people and an economic collapse. Until being located in 1987 by a group of researchers under the direction of Tommy Thompson, the shipwreck site had remained a mystery for more than a Century.
Tommy Thompson, an ocean engineer, had a lifelong fascination with the SS Central America steamship. He thought that a recent invention called side-scan sonar, which makes a picture of the ocean floor by reflecting sound waves off it and was used to locate the ship.
Years were spent by Thompson’s crew looking for the SS Central America. They discovered the SS Central America’s wreckage on September 11, 1985.
The crew employed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to investigate the ship’s wreckage 7,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. Together with other relics like clothing, shoes, and personal things from the passengers and crew, they discovered several gold coins and bars.
The Vasa
Location: Stockholm Harbor, Sweden
Discovered: 1961
Value: No official estimated value
The Swedish capital city of Stockholm is where the Vasa was discovered at the bottom of the harbor. During its first trip in 1628, the ship sank and spent more than 300 years at the sea’s bottom.
Anders Franzén, a navy commander and amateur archeologist, had an interest in discovering the Vasa’s wreck in the 1950s. He thought that ship was still in condition and buried in the harbor’s muck.
The Vasa was found by Franzén and a group of divers in the eastern section of the harbor, close to the island of Beckholmen, after years of investigation and excavation.
The Swedish navy joined the salvage mission, and a large operation to retrieve the ship was started. The Vasa was ultimately brought to the surface in 1961 after several years of labor.
Whilst no treasures were discovered on the Vasa shipwreck when it was salvaged, the ship and its contents are considered valuable cultural and historical artifacts, providing valuable insights into shipbuilding techniques, naval warfare, and everyday life in Sweden during the 17th Century. The ship was moved to a Vasa museum in Stockholm, where it is brought back to its previous splendor.
The San Jose
Location: Coast of Cartagena, Colombia
Discovered: 2015
Value: Billion dollars
The term “discovery of San Jose” relates to the 2015 discovery of the Spanish galleon San Jose, also known as Nuestra Senora de la Concepción, off the coast of Colombia. The San Jose vessel traveled with the Spanish treasure fleet, which in the 17th Century brought gold, silver, and other valuables from the Americas back to Spain.
San Jose was sunk by the British fleet in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1708, and its whereabouts were unknown for many years. The wreck of the San Jose was found off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, in 2015 by a team of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
The wreck is assumed to contain a treasure worth billions of dollars and is considered one of the largest discovered ocean treasures.
The Antikythera Mechanism
Location: Coast of Greece
Discovered: 1901
Value: $120-160 Million
An ancient Greek mechanical system known as the Antikythera Mechanism was uncovered in 1901 in the Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece. It is thought to have been built in the first or second century BCE and is the oldest example of a sophisticated geared mechanism known to exist.
The system, powered by a hand crank made up of at least 30 bronze gears and was used, among other things, to track celestial positions and forecast eclipses. The Antikythera Mechanism is a testament to the sophistication of ancient Greek engineering and profoundly impacted the understanding of the history of science and technology.
The Black Swan Ship
Location: Of the Coast of Portugal
Discovered: 2007
Value: $500 Million
The Black Swan ship, known as Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, is one of history’s most famous marine treasures.
After a battle with the British, the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a Spanish ship filled with gold and silver treasure from South America, sank off the coast of Portugal in 1804. The ship was discovered in 2007 by a salvage business in the United States, which code-named the $500 million prize “Black Swan.”
In 2012, the bounty was returned to the Spanish government when it was proven that the Black Swan loot belonged to the Mercedes.
FAQs
What are some of the dangers associated with searching for ocean treasure?
Unpredictable water conditions, remote or difficult-to-reach areas, and the requirement for appropriate safety procedures are all hazards involved with maritime treasure hunting.
Can anyone search for ocean treasures?
No, the excavation and recovery of shipwrecks and other ocean treasures are governed by laws and regulations, and specialized knowledge and equipment are frequently needed.
Why are so many ocean treasures found in shipwrecks?
Ships carried precious goods that stayed intact on the ocean floor; therefore, hidden under the waves are frequently discovered in shipwrecks.
