treasures buried in the depths of the oceans; From the Titanic’s violin to the pirate’s gold

Shipwrecks are more than scraps of iron buried in the depths of the ocean; They have hidden untold stories of travel, trade, war and everyday life. Every now and then, by exploring these silent cemeteries, marine archaeologists bring back treasures to the land, each of which opens a window to a forgotten world; Treasures such as Wallace Hartley’s violin and ancient mechanical computer and pirate treasure. Join Kojaro for a short trip to the depths of the oceans. (love exploring)

One of the most famous stories related to the Titanic is the story of the musicians who continued to play until the last moment; Wallace Hartley (Wallace Hartley), the leader of this group, who after playing the last piece, put his violin in its case and closed it. Although this did not help him survive in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean; Her violin was found along with her body and returned to her fiancé. This violin is located in the “Titanic Belfast Museum” in Northern Ireland. (violin storage place – titanicbelfast)

Photographer: Peter Muhly / alamy.com

The ship “Newport”, belonging to the 15th century, was found in 2002 on the banks of the river “Usk” in Wales. One of the objects found in it was a small French coin. Apparently, this coin was placed there for good luck; Because according to an old belief, a ship without money is doomed to sink. Since the Newport ended up on the bank of a river and not in the deep sea, the coin seems to have served its purpose well.

Photographer: unknown / loveexploring.com

The world’s first known analog computer was discovered in a sunken Roman ship in the 1st century BC. This device is known as “Antikythera Mechanism” and divers found it near the Greek island of Antikythera. This complex, hand-made instrument was a model of the solar system that tracked the positions of the planets with high precision, and the Greeks used it to predict astronomical events and measure time. Parts of this computer are now kept in Greece in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. (Greeks use the device—nationalhellenicmuseum)

Photographer: Alexandros Michailidis / shutterstock.com

The SS Central America steamship sank in 1857 in a terrible storm. This ship took more than 9 tons of gold (about 550 million dollars today) to the depths of the ocean. This disaster caused a heavy economic blow to America. The wreck of this ship was found in 1988 and after several long legal battles, its precious cargo was brought ashore to become part of American economic history.

Photographer: Michael Crabtree / alamy.com

The “British merchant ship SS Gairsoppa” (SS Gairsoppa) had roamed the seas of the world for more than 20 years until in 1941, in the midst of World War II, it was targeted by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland and sank. In addition to the cargo of tea and iron, this ship also carried a valuable treasure of 200 tons of silver ingots. In 2011, a salvage and recovery company found the exact location of the shipwreck and managed to retrieve the silver from the seabed within two years.

Photographer: Odyssey Marine Exploration / loveexploring.com

When divers found 17th-century Mediterranean pottery in a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland in 1998, the hypothesis was strengthened that they might have found the remains of one of the ships of the defeated Spanish fleet dating back to 1588; But this theory has not been proven yet. This vase, which was pulled out of mud, is considered one of the most stunning artefacts discovered on the British coast. This vase is now in the National Museum of Scotland.

Photographer: Colin McPherson / Vertical.nl

In the 14th century BC, a merchant ship sank off the coast of Uluburun, Turkey. Although parts of its wooden hull were lost during the excavation, its cargo remained among the sediments. This shipment includes works such as copper and tin ingots and luxury jewelry. These findings provide an image of trade in the Bronze Age and are located in a hall in the “Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archeology” in Turkey.

Photographer: Zaferkizilkaya / shutterstock.com

The Spanish warship “Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes” (Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes) was sailing on the southern coast of Portugal in 1804 when a British cannonball hit its ammunition store and the ship sank. In 2007, an American company discovered the wreck of this ship and took out more than 500,000 gold and silver coins from it. The Spanish government managed to transfer this treasure to the “National Museum of Subaquatic Archeology” in Spain with a legal complaint.

Photographer: jacinta lluch Valero/Wikipedia

The warship of the British Royal Navy, named “HMS Victory” (HMS Victory) sank in a storm in 1744. The exact location of the shipwreck remained a mystery for centuries until it was discovered in 2008. The ship’s identity was definitively confirmed by a 42-pound bronze cannon (about 19 kilograms) inscribed with the royal coat of arms of George I. This historic cannon is now on display in England at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. (The location of the ball—-ultimaproject)

Photographer: Tim Sheerman-Chase / Wikimedia

In 1717 pirates captured the Whydah Gally ship. This ship sank two months later in a terrible storm in the United States off the coast of Massachusetts. In 1984, a diver named Barry Clifford discovered the ship along with some of its spoils, including chests full of coins. This treasure is known as the only real and discovered pirate treasure in the world and is on display at the Whydah Pirate Museum in Massachusetts.

Photographer: Theodore Scott / Wikimedia

What do you think about underwater treasures? Are you interested in discovering the underwater world? We would be happy if you share your thoughts with us and our colleagues.

Cover photo source: alamy.com; Photographer: Sipa US (Wayda Gali Ship Treasure)