Researcher Identifies Location of a Sunken Spanish Ship Carrying 22 Tons of Gold and Silver off the Portugal Coast
An expert claims there are several treasure-laden shipwrecks sunken on Portugal’s coastline between the Azores and Madeira. According to examinations conducted by Marine archaeologist, Alexandre Monteiro, the coastline has around 8,620 sunken vessels, stated Colombia One. Amongst them, 250 vessels carried gold within them. Monteiro has reportedly cataloged shipwrecks dating back to the 16th century in the region and claims that 7,500 shipwrecks were located along Portugal’s continental coast, 1,000 were close to Azores and 120 were spread around Madeira.
Monteiro further adds that there are several significant vessels in this collection of shipwrecks on the coastline. One of them was a Spanish ship called Nossa Senhora do Rosário. Monteiro claimed that the ship was used to transport 22 tons of gold and silver. Researchers have yet to reach this ship and examine its contents. Monteiro stated that since all the 250 ships with gold remain sunken, there is a high possibility that thieves have not been able to reach these vessels. As a result, the said treasure remains untouched.
Monteiro's pursuit to catalog the shipwrecks began when he found the mention of a 1615 ship, Nossa Senhora da Luz, as a footnote in a historical record, according to The Herald News, "I wanted to find that ship," he said. "It took me four years to search through various archives and, after those four years, I went diving and on my first dive I found the point of the shipwreck."
The ship was located in the Azores and when the news spread far and wide treasure hunting companies began enquiring with the regional government about other similar ships. They had no answer, and this encouraged Monteiro to start examining the coastline and catalog shipwrecks present on them.
Monteiro claims that with the way development and advancements are progressing in nearby regions, the treasures at one point or another will come to the surface, according to Colombia One. He hopes that by the time the valuables come out of the ship, there are regulations in place for their preservation.
"We know that there are 250 ships that hold treasures, and sooner or later, a construction project or something similar will discover it. Regardless, there is no contingency plan to protect these findings," Monteiro said. He has made his research regarding the supposed sunken vessels public and has also shared his data with the Portuguese government. Despite the information provided by Monteiro, officials are yet to make any progress in searching for the sunken vessels.
Monteiro believes that the site where sunken vessels are present is culturally and economically important for the country. Hence, the country's authorities must protect such places to the best of their abilities. Monteiro thinks that it is extremely unfortunate that information about these sunken vessels was under wraps for so long. This allowed the structures to remain vulnerable to looting and environmental interference. According to him, the need of the hour is for the government to actively look after the vessels. Even though the vessels remain out of reach for thieves, the surrounding construction projects can cause equal if not more harm. Regulation of such activities can prevent further damage to the vessels.