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June 22, 1998

Secrets of Undersea Shipwreck Treasure Hunters (Full Documentary)Secrets of Undersea Shipwreck Treasure Hunters (Full Documentary)Secrets of Undersea Shipwre. Using innovative methods and advanced technology, Odyssey Marine Exploration discovers, validates and develops subsea mineral deposits. The deep sea contains critical mineral resources that are becoming scarce and difficult to extract on land. Marine minerals have the potential to con. This program will feature several colourful treasure hunters including Mel Fisher, Teddy Tucker, and Henry Cox. The program will follow the men as they search for lost ships and artefacts. Expedition divers will travel to Bermuda, an island early Spanish sailors deemed, 'Isle of Devils' because of its treacherous reefs and work with Tucker and Cox on their latest finds. Preservation techniques.

he moment you start reading Gary Kinder's spellbinding story of a suboceanic treasure hunt, 'Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea,' you know that the searchers are eventually going to hit it very big. The narrative begins with the discovery in January 1848 of the gold nugget at John Sutter's sawmill that brought on the California Gold Rush.

Fight your way through countless enemies and boss fights, earn your treasure and upgrade your submarine.

Deep Sea Treasure Hunters

From there the story jumps to September 1857 and the journey from Panama to New York of the Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying nearly 600 passengers returning from the Gold Rush and some 21 tons of California gold worth at the time more than $13 million. Two days after a stopover in Havana, the ship ran into what was described at the time as a storm 'of almost unprecedented fury and violence' and eventually sank.

Drawing on the extensive testimony of eyewitnesses and survivors, Kinder ('Victim: The Other Side of Murder' and 'Light Years: An Investigation of the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier') has reconstructed the sinking of the Central America in harrowing and often poignant detail. But you read these chapters a little impatiently. You itch to get on with the treasure hunt. There's been enough of sinking ships and killer vortexes and floating corpses in this season of Leonardo DiCaprio.

In any case, the narrative picks up pace as the scene shifts to the town of Defiance, Ohio, in the 1960s, and you meet Tommy Thompson, a young genius who wants to know how everything works and who once drove his car cross-country powered with used french-fry oil.

Following wherever his insatiable curiosity takes him, Thompson ends up in the business of salvaging sunken treasure ships, not so much for the sake of fortune hunting as a way of financing the scientific exploration of the ocean floor. Breaking down the problems of deep-sea salvage systematically, he determines the best approach to be the use of an unmanned, remote-control vehicle. Rating the most feasible wrecks on a scale of risks, he and his team arrive at the Central America as their target.

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As Kinder writes: 'It had sunk in an era of accurate record keeping and reliable navigation instruments. Dozens of witnesses had testified to the sinking, and five ship captains had given coordinates that placed the ship in an area where sediment collected no faster than a centimeter every thousand years. The extrinsic risks looked as favorable: she had a wooden hull, which would be easier to get into, and massive ironworks in her steam engine and boilers that would provide a good target for sonar, even if much of the iron had corroded and disappeared. And it was off the coast of the United States, so they wouldn't have to negotiate with a foreign government and they could more easily provide site security.'

Finally, if they could find the wreck, 'they would open a time capsule representing an entire nation during a crucial period in its formation.'

Once Thompson wins financial backing and gets to work, the fascination of the story lies less in whether he is going to succeed and more in the genius of his approach. For instance, to determine where to search with the advanced sonar device he has leased, he and his team prepare what they called a probability map based on the ship's last known position, variously reported at the time of the sinking. One of these coordinates seems to make no sense. By going to the historical record and cleverly inferring one man's behavior during the catastrophe, the team is able to resolve the anomaly.

Once the search begins and a site is found that seems to be the Central America, some members of the team insist that there is no point in looking further. But Thompson, arguing that they have succumbed to treasure-hunt fever, demands that the search go on and that in the interest of scientific discipline all high-probability sectors be scanned. It is a good thing that he persists, for as it turns out, they are still a long way from hitting pay dirt.

Yet when competing hunters threaten to poach on sites that Thompson has discovered, he is able to improvise brilliantly and to snatch almost from under his rivals' noses what some consider the greatest sunken treasure ever found.

That Thompson stressed scientific discovery over fortune is one of the main points of 'Ship of Gold.' As Kinder concludes: 'Since 1989, he has used his new technology to provide an opportunity never before available to science: data, specimens, photographs, film and on-site time at sea observing and experimenting in the deep ocean for over 150 scientists, researchers and educators in the United States, Canada, Germany, Monaco, England and New Zealand. They are corrosion experts, underwater archeologists, marine biologists, marine geologists, ocean chemists, ocean physicists, material scientists, bacteriologists, fisheries scientists and maritime historians. The scientists have been identifying life forms, determining life cycles, evaluating data and providing insight.'

This is certainly good news, but it is finally not what draws you on through Kinder's pages and prompts you to forgive his occasionally clunky prose and his curious omission of pictorial material. Succumbing like Thompson's subordinates to treasure-hunt fever, what you hunger for is the glitter of the payoff, which you get not only as information but also in the author's striking word-portrait of a scene glimpsed through a camera eye two miles below the sea's surface.

'Like deep-ocean sentries, sea creatures guarded the treasure: gorgonian corals, feathery and white, stood erect above the gold; brisingid sea stars, a brilliant pink-orange, sprawled across piles of yellow bricks or perched atop a single bar, their arms drooped possessively; red anemones, their tentacles splayed, stuck to ledges and inside crevices spilling with coins and bars. The scene was live, yet seemed forever like a photograph: piles of gold, much of it yellow as the night it went down, surrounded by the neighbors it had known since that night in 1857.'

And no one risked getting the bends or rapture of the deep.

A treasure hunter is a person who, as either a vocation or avocation, searches for sunken, buried, lost, or hidden treasure and other artifacts.

Historical[edit]

• Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778-1823, Italian). Sometimes known as The Great Belzoni, was a prolific Italian explorer and pioneer archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities. He removed with great skill the colossal bust of Ramesses II, commonly called 'the Young Memnon' later shipped to England. He expanded his investigations to the great temple of Edfu, visited Elephantine and Philae, cleared the great temple at Abu Simbel of sand (1817), made excavations at Karnak, and opened up the sepulchre of Seti I (still sometimes known as 'Belzoni's Tomb'). He was the first to penetrate into the second pyramid of Giza, and the first European in modern times to visit the oasis of Bahariya. He also identified the ruins of Berenice on the Red Sea.^[1]
• Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890, German). He argued for the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer and was an important excavator of Troy and of the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns. He is considered by many to have been the 'father of historical archaeology.'^[2]
• Mel Fisher (1922-1998, American). Best known for finding the wreck of the SpanishgalleonNuestra Señora de Atocha in 1985. The estimated $450 million cache recovered, known as the 'Atocha Motherlode,' included 40 tons of gold and silver and some 100,000 Spanish silver coins (pieces of eight), gold coins, Colombian emeralds, golden and silver artifacts, and 1000 silver bars.
• Robert F. Marx (1936-2019, American). A pioneering scuba diver best known for his work with shipwrecks and sunken treasure. Considered controversial for his frequent and successful forays into treasure hunting. E. Lee Spence described him as 'the true father of underwater archaeology.'^[3]
• John Chatterton (b. 1951, American). The 1991 discovery and subsequent identification of the German submarine U-869, off the coast of New Jersey, has been the subject of several television documentaries including Hitler's Lost Sub, a two-hour special for the popular NOVA series on PBS. The same story was the subject of a book by Robert Kurson, called Shadow Divers. The movie rights have been purchased by 20th Century Fox. Chatterton has made over 160 dives to the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria and worked two seasons on the fabled treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepcion.^[4] In 2008, Chatterton and his partner discovered and identified the wreck of the Golden Fleece off of the North coast of the Dominican Republic. The ship was that of Joseph Bannister, a pirate captain of the late 18th century. The discovery of the Golden Fleece was chronicled by writer Robert Kurson in his 2015 book Pirate Hunters.
• John Mattera (b. 1962) is a writer and American shipwreck explorer and the subject of the book Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson. Pirate Hunters is the story of two US divers, John Chatterton and John Mattera, finding the lost pirate ship Golden Fleece of Captain Joseph Bannister in the waters off the Dominican Republic in 2008. Mattera first became a certified diver in 1976, exploring the North Atlantic, he was an early pioneer of the shipwrecks in the waters around New York and New Jersey, performing penetration and decompression dives long before technical diving had a name. From the late 1970s on exploring some of the most famous shipwrecks of the northeast, with over sixty dives on the SS Andrea Doria and working two seasons on the fabled treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepcion, Guadalupe, Tolosa, San Josef.^[5]
• Philip Masters (1937-2007, American). Led the hunt for Blackbeard the pirate's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. His company, Intersal, Inc., under permit with the State of North Carolina, found the wreck in November 1996 while searching for the El Salvador. He was also part of the crew that salvaged HMS Feversham, a British warship that sank off Nova Scotia in 1711.^[6] In April 2007 he received the prestigious Old North State Award for 'outstanding public service to the State of North Carolina and the community.'^[7][8] After Masters' death, Intersal continued the search for the El Salvador near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina.^[9]
• Brent Brisben (American). Best known for ownership and salvage of the 1715 Treasure Fleet. Brisben made headlines worldwide in 2015 when he and his crew recovered 4.5 Million Dollars worth of gold coins from the 1715 Fleet on the 300th anniversary of the sinking of the fleet.
• E. Lee Spence (b. 1947, American). A pioneer in underwater archaeology, he is noted for his expertise on shipwrecks and sunken treasure. Born in Germany to an American spy master, Spence writes and edits reference books as well as magazines (Diving World, Atlantic Coastal Diver, Treasure, Treasure Diver, and Treasure Quest), and publishes magazines (ShipWrecks, Wreck Diver); and a published photographer. Spence was 12 when he found his first five shipwrecks.^[10][11] Spence has salvaged over $50 million in valuable artifacts^[12] and was responsible, through his archival research, for the location of the wrecks of the side-paddle-wheel steamers Republic^[13] and Central America.^[14][15]
• Captain Robert MacKinnon (b. 1950, Canadian). Known for finding the wreck of the Auguste in 1977. Covered in an issue of National Geographic 77-78. The estimated value of artifacts said to be worth hundreds of millions. Auguste was a full-rigged sailing ship which sank at Aspy Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1761 while carrying exiles from the fall of New France. Auguste was a former French privateer ship which had been captured by the British and converted to a merchant ship.^[16]
• Martin Bayerle (b. 1951, American). Finder of the legendary shipwreck RMS Republic, an in-progress recovery for what may be the greatest treasure recovery of all time, The Tsar's Treasure, estimated to be worth in excess of $2 billion in gold coin, gold and silver bars, circulated coin and passenger valuables.
• Tommy Gregory Thompson (b. 1952, American, currently held in jail). Known to lead the Columbus-America Discovery Group of Ohio at finding the wreck of the SS Central America and recovery of several tons of gold from it, jailed for default investors/creditors by US Marshalls.^[17]
• H. Charles Beil (b. 1959, American). Known for finding multiple smaller treasures and unknown ghost towns across America. Covered in an issue of Western and Eastern Treasures 2013. Has documented thousands of lost towns, mines and lost treasures at Treasure Illustrated. Known for debunking the Dents Run Gold Legend, Trabucco Gold Legend and the Legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine and other well known treasure legends in America.
• Jeff MacKinnon (b. 1977, Canadian) Known for recovering treasure from various historical shipwreck sites while utilizing the recovery operations to provide enhanced therapy for veterans who suffer from different forms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain injury).

Fictional[edit]

Fictional characters include:

• Jim Hawkins, the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1881 novel, Treasure Island
• Allan Quatermain, a hunter and adventurer, the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines
• Fred C. Dobbs, the protagonist of B. Traven's 1927 novel, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and the movie of the same name.
• Bilbo Baggins, protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit
• Rouge the Bat, A treasure hunter from the Sonic The Hedgehog series, she often tries to steal the Master Emerald and works for G.U.N.
• Tintin, the protagonist of the Hergé's 1943 French comic book Red Rackham's Treasure
• Scrooge McDuck, uncle of Donald Duck and protagonist of Uncle Scrooge and Ducktales.
• Harry Steele, the protagonist of the 1954 movie Secret of the Incas
• Indiana Jones, a professor of archaeology and adventurer, and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise of adventure films: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), its prequelIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and its sequels Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Jones is notable for his trademark bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, and fear of snakes. Portrayed by Harrison Ford.
• Wario, founder and boss of Warioware inc., Mario's rival and a treasure hunter and the main protagonist of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land 2, Wario Land 3, Wario Land 4, Wario Land: Shake It!, Wario: Master of Disguise, and Wario World.
• Lara Croft, an archeologist and title character of the popular Tomb Raider series of games. Portrayed by Angelina Jolie in two movies based on the game franchise, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life.
• Benjamin Franklin Gates, the protagonist of the National Treasure franchise of adventure films: National Treasure (2004) and its sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). Portrayed by Nicolas Cage.
• Dirk Pitt, a marine archeologist and protagonist of a series of books written by Clive Cussler. Portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in the film Sahara.
• Nathan Drake, or 'Nate', the protagonist of the video game series Uncharted, which includes four main games: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
• Ben Finnegan, the protagonist of the 2008 film Fool's Gold.
• Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI is a blend of treasure hunter and thief, and tends to call himself a treasure hunter... especially when accused and/or caught in the act of theft.

References[edit]

1. ^Chisholm 1911. sfn error: no target: CITEREFChisholm1911 (help)
2. ^'Heinrich Schliemann: Improbable Archaeologist'. The BAS Library. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
3. ^Spence, E. Lee. Spence's Guide to South Carolina. Nelson Southern Printing: Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, 1976.
4. ^Kurson, Robert (2015). Pirate Hunters. Random House. ISBN9781400063369.
5. ^Kurson, Robert (2015). Pirate Hunters. Random House. ISBN9781400063369.
6. ^Martin, Douglas. 'Philip Masters, True Amateur of History, Dies at 70'. The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
7. ^'Phil Masters Receives Old North State Award'. newspapers.digitalnc.org. The Shoreline. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
8. ^'Old North State'. governor.nc.gov. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
9. ^'Intersal, Inc'. Intersal, Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
10. ^Warner, Eugene (April 1970). 'Diver Lee Spence'. Sandlapper. Columbia, SC: 40–43.
11. ^Hatch, Katherine. 'Treasure Diver.' Treasure World. February–March 1972, p. 44-45.
12. ^King, Charles. 'About the Author' (p. 517) in E. Lee Spence, Treasures of The Confederate Coast: the 'Real Rhett Butler' & Other Revelations. Narwhal Press: Charleston/Miami, 1995.
13. ^Nesmith, Jeff. 'Ocean Treasure Company Has a Murky HistoryArchived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine.' Cox News Service: 3 June 2007.
14. ^'Treasure.' Life. March 1987.
15. ^'Milliard-Skatten.' Vi Menn. November 1989. p. 4-7.
16. ^Treasure Hunter: Diving for Gold on North America's Death Coast.
17. ^[1]

Bibliography[edit]

• Tolstikov, Vladimir; Treister, Mikhail (1996). The Gold of Troy. Searching for Homer's Fabled City. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN0-8109-3394-2. A catalog of the artifacts Schliemann excavated at Troy, with photographs.
• Wood, Michael (1987). In Search of the Trojan War. New American Library. ISBN0-452-25960-6.

External links[edit]

Deep Sea Treasure Hunters Answer Key

• Two firms seek ship, Carolina Coast Online
• Treasure hunter in race to uncover ship of riches, Google
• Philip Masters, True Amateur of History, Dies at 70, New York Times

Treasure Hunt Games