Posts Tagged ‘Shipwrecks’

I’m Checking My Diving Equipment This Weekend

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February 3rd, 2012

Anyone interested in a diving expedition to Italy in March?

In case you missed it, there’s a fortune lurking and waiting to be lifted out of the sea off the coast of Italy. It’s in a safe place, it’s in shallow water and there are no sharks. All you will have to do is avoid the police and other treasure hunters.

FAQs

The size of the reward? Unknown, but it could run to zillions.

What will we be looking for? Cash, diamonds and other gems, precious metals, and anything that can be easily converted into cash.

Where is the treasure hidden? All over the SS Costa Concordia, which for your convenience is lying on her side.

What are the dangers? Thousands of other treasure seekers.

What accommodation is being offered? None. You sleep anywhere.

How will the weather be? Cold with the first hints of spring.

Why aren’t you waiting for the weather to warm up before you start diving? The authorities will get themselves organized by then and you won’t be able to get near the ship.

The race is on

Unlike the Titanic which sank in deep water with a fortune of treasure aboard and hard to get at, the Costa Concorde is on the surface of the sea, meaning that just about anyone can become a treasure hunter. You don’t need diving gear and you don’t have to have diving experience. If you can swim you will be in the game.

Personal treasure

The items of treasure should be easy to find. The moment the boat hit the rocks everyone seemed to sense there was a major problem. The order to ‘man the lifeboats’ confirmed their fears and they dropped everything and made for the decks, leaving their possessions where they were. Everything is still there and will remain there until the first wave of treasure hunters arrives and starts digging around, emptying closets and suitcases, scattering unwanted clothing and other objects everywhere in the mad search for valuables. If you are in the second wave you will have a rough time looking for things.

Company treasure

Besides the goods that the passengers brought on board there are valuable items which belonged to the ship. First of all there is all the restaurant and kitchenware which will emerge from the sea in perfect condition and is eminently saleable. Much of the furniture and furnishings can be salvaged and sold. Odd trinkets from the wreck have started washing up on the shore and have already found there way to eBay. Anything with the Costa Concorde logo or emblem is considered a collectors item.

What is everyone waiting for?

Firstly the water is very cold. Secondly the ship is apparently moving slightly and is considered to be highly dangerous. Thirdly and most important, there are still 15 people listed as missing. They are probably on the ship, meaning that it is technically a grave. Once all the bodies are out there will be a mad scramble to get on board. I can’t wait!

Tags: Costa Concorde, Salvage, Shipwrecks, Treasure, Treasure hunters
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Huge Silver Haul Possible From WWII Ship

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September 27th, 2011

70 year old wreck holds a huge silver cargo in its watery grave

When the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat 70 years ago, it took its cargo with it to the bottom of the ocean. US divers are now working to recover what may be the biggest shipwreck haul ever, valued at some $210 million.

219 tons of silver

A Florida-based company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, confirmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa, and cited official documents indicating the British ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic some 300 miles off the Irish coast. Valued then at £600,000, the silver today is worth about $210 million, which would make it history’s largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said. "We’ve accomplished the first phase of this project, the location and identification of the target shipwreck, and now we’re planning the recovery phase," Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement. “We are confident that our salvage operation, expected to begin next spring, will recover this silver cargo."

Gairsoppa

The 412-foot Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941 bearing a cargo of silver, pig iron and tea, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gairsoppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Galway, Ireland. It never made it, succumbing to a German torpedo in the contested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on board, only one survived.

On the bottom

The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 15,400 feet below the surface, where for decades it was lost to the world. A previous effort to locate the shipwreck failed. Odyssey found it relatively quickly, and insists the depth of the site won’t prevent a full cargo recovery. "We found the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said. Photographs released by the company show clear details of the Gairsoppa, including a ladder leading to the forecastle deck, a waist-high compass used by the helmsman, even the hole in the steel hull blown open by the torpedo.

Technology

The find highlights the influential role that modern technology has come to play in the business of finding shipwrecks, with vastly improved sonar equipment, global positioning systems and advanced deepwater robots that scour the world’s oceans for booty.

Shipwrecks

UNESCO estimates there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, with billions of dollars in sunken treasures and priceless knowledge that can be recovered from the depths of the ocean, including vast amounts of naturally occurring copper, silver, gold and zinc deposits waiting to be discovered. "The majority of the world’s ocean floor has not yet been explored," said Odyssey president Mark Gordon, who told AFP that the discovery at some 15,400 feet beneath below the ocean’s surface is a treasure trove for companies like his.

Tags: Gairsoppa, Shipwrecks, Silver, Sunken treasure
Posted in Business, Economy, Finance, Money, Personal / Internet, Technology | No Comments »