about groups of people looking for gold,
shows like Bearing Sea Gold, Bamazon and a few others, well here is an idea, rather than dig it from the ground why not look where others have done that for you and just pick up the gold bars or pieces of eight? the United Nations believes there are an incredible three million shipwrecks on the ocean floor worldwide, with 32,000 in UK waters alone, here are just a few that might tempt the aspiring gold hunting diver,
Royal Charter – 1859, Dulas Bay. Anglesey, Wales, the loss of this steam clipper stunned Victorian Britain and Charles Dickens went to Wales to report on the disaster, she was hit by a storm while en route from Melbourne to London and snapped in two less than 50 yards from the coast, among the 450 souls who perished were prospectors returning from the Australian gold with fortunes worth a total of £78 million today, although salvaged in Victorian times gold sovereigns, nuggets and pistols were found by divers last year,
San Juan De Silicia – 1588, Isle of Mull, Scotland, one of the 130 ships in the ill-fated Spanish Armada, it exploded and sank off the Hebridean island of Mull with the loss of 62 crewmen and 287 soldiers, years later rumours grew that it was laden with gold and the wreck became known as the Tobermory Treasure Galleon, but salvaging, which begun in the 17th century, only led to the recovery of guns, anchors, a bronze canon and pewter platters and medals,
or for treasure of a different kind how about Loch Sheil, the 'Whiskey Wreck' – 1877, Thorn Island, Pembrokeshire, the 1218 ton rigged sailing ship was carrying gunpowder and a cargo of 7000 cases of beer and whiskey, most was picked up by locals and hidden in cliffs or buried for years, two bottles of whiskey turned up in the roof of a house in 1950, the crew survived and the only casualty was a local who found some of the whiskey and drank himself to death,
but before you go dashing down to the coast remember the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 which makes it a criminal offence to visit the sites without a licence or do anything that could damage them, to find out more go to,
happy hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment