With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

How to find a treasure trove

...So just how did the explorers find one of the most lucrative shipwreck sites of all time?

First things first, this venture had nothing to do with luck.


It took months of painstaking research, dozens of dedicated crew members, a needle-in-a-haystack type search and several millions pounds to recover one of the largest coin collections ever salvaged.

An almighty task, but to those in the world of shipwrecks, pirates and treasure troves, this was their El Dorado.

Shipwreck expert Richard Larn, of Shipwrecks UK, told BBC News the explorers would have probably spent an entire year researching the ship to find out exactly what it carried, to whom it belonged and to whom the cargo belonged.

They would also consider how accessible a ship which sank seven leagues under the sea near Land's End could be.

"They would then draw a huge circle around the spot and double it, and then start 'mowing the lawn'," he said.

This involves travelling up and down a 100-or-so mile channel, turning around and then moving several yards across before heading back.

Related Links

  • Coincidence? Odyssey, Disney partners, and Disney's 'Pirates3' opens next week (Sacramento Bee)
  • Read entire article at BBC News