Underwater hidden treasures

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Most obviously, capsized ships can hold treasure of various types such as artefacts, gold coins and choicest precious stones.

This treasure mutely speaks of the grand level the people lived in the past. For thousands of years ships from throughout the world have traversed highseas and earth's waterways carrying warriors, slaves, gold, precious stones, automobiles and pleasure travellers.

Most unfortunately, some of those vessels have gone not to their respective destinations but into the dark, deep abysses of oceans and lakes often taking with them all that they carried.

Only in recent times have we come to understand the un-disputed value of ship wrecks with regard to the studies on the sites and their contents. However, man made objects and other naturally precious things found lying among shipwrecks readily provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. Highly sophisticated equipment is most often called for in exploring a wreck and modern day exploration work has developed by leaps and bounds with the invention of scuba gear in 1943. In 1986, enthusiastic explorers exploited remote-control craft and underwater vehicles to discover one of the most spectacular finds ever - the wreck of the ill-fated luxury liner Titanic.

A ghostly find

"The ship was slowly sinking. Shrieks and piercing screams reverberated in the ship, I jumped up and fell into the water..I saw the ship sink as I left her..."

This is how Ned Myers recounted his miraculous escape from the sinking ship "Scourge" on Lake Ontario. During the war of 1812, "Scourge" and twelve other ships lay waiting for the dawn when they were to attack a fleet of British ships. Around 2 o'clock at night, a powerful typhoon struck the ship (Scourge) heeling her over and over again till she sank. The sister ship "Hamilton" also sank. Ned Myers, the captain of "Scourge" luckily managed to save nineteen on board but around 53 sank into the cold depths of Lake Ontario.

The ships lay underwater largely forgotten for around 158 years. Then in 1975, a Canadian team of explorers positively identified the wrecks and they sent a robot craft into the three hundred feet of dark, cold water to photograph the remains.

Prize warship Mary Rose

The robot recorded a ghostly scene where the ships lay preserved by the Lake's cold waters and by the darkness at 300 feet. Frightening skeletons of drowned crewmen lay scattered around the wrecks. About 300 feet under, a remote control camera captured the mysterious image of the figure head of 'Hamilton', the ancient Goddess Diana.

The city of Hamilton - Ontario which owns the wrecks hope it is possible to raise the ships and the priceless treasure. The city has reserved a lakeside area where a museum could be built to house these ships and to help preserve their rich history.

July 19, 1545 was an extremely clear, calm day at the naval base in Portsmouth-England. People proudly watched as Mary Rose, the most excellent ship in the royal fleet, sailed out to launch attacks on the French enemy. But an unexpected storm hit the ship.

An onlooker fainted as Mary Rose sank taking with her almost 700 crewmen and soldiers. On shore, King Henry VIII could hear the screams of the drowning sailors on Mary Rose, one of the most advanced fighting ships of the time. Above all, Mary Rose was King Henry's pride.

For more than 400 years, Mary Rose lay under water at the bottom of English channel well protected by formations of silt. When archaeologists began excavation work in the ship, they discovered things which were almost same as they had been when the ship sank.

A surgeon's chest contained a wooden jar filled with ointment with finger-marks still on it. The skeleton of an archer carrying a bundle of arrows was discovered lying near the stairs where he had made desperate attempts to escape. Fragmented skeletons of a dog and a cabin boy were also found.

After excavations, archaeologists rediscovered more than 18,000 artifacts from the site which are stored at the navy base where Mary Rose currently rests. However, King Henry VIII watched in horror the sinking of his prize warship Mary Rose and only about 30 out of 700 men aboard survived the marine catastrophe.

The 16 century man-of-war Mary Rose (Its wreck) contained hundreds of everyday objects used by the crew and researchers have found clothing and sewing kits.

The explorers recovered musical instruments and games used by the crew on board in their free time. Exciting finds as these provide an excellent idea of life aboard Mary Rose during 16th century.

Chunks of raw glass

In 1977, George Bass led a team of American and Turkish archaeologists to investigate the mysteriously colourful glass fragments lying on the sea floor.

In the course of several dives, the team managed to uncover a wooden hull resting in the sand at 110 feet and glimpsed thousands of glass fragments lying around the wreck.

The team discovered glass weights and coins that provided ample proof that the sinking had occurred around AD 1025. Yet the artifacts recovered from the wreck presented a puzzling mystery. Amphoras bear lettering of the Christian world while other objects bear the images of Virgin Mary and of other Christian figures.

On the other hand, the elegant glassware was crafted by Muslims who were bitter enemies with Christians at the time.

The archaeologists and researchers were confronted with the questions: Where did the ship come from? How was it that the ship carried commodities from Christian world and Muslim world that were at bitter enmity with each at the time? Why did it sink? It may take years to unravel the mystery.

The ship's cargo largely constituted raw glass about two tons worth-in chunks. The ship might have been hauling the scrap for the cycling when she sank in the harbour of Serce Limam about 900 years ago.

San Esteban

In the 16th century, multiple ships were leaving Spanish ports for the colonies in the new world carrying with them weapons, wine, household items, books etc.

On the return voyage, the ships brought precious metals for the treasury of Spain but their journey proved to be dangerous owing to foul weather, pirates and treacherous reefs.

The small merchant ship San Esteban set out for Havana, Cuba carrying gold and silver weighing approximately 85,000 pounds.

A violent storm hit the ship which ran aground off Pedra island. San Esteban was rediscovered in the 1960s and after mapping the site, explorers began recovering the scattered artifacts.

The wooden hull of the ship had been completely sabo destroyed but much of the cargo lay intact. The cargo consisted of tools, cannon, anchors, coins but an Indian made mirror of a polished mineral (pyrite) attracted the researchers' attention.

A rock like crust covered most of the objects and even a cockroach in fossil form was discovered trapped in this crust.

But in the laboratory, with the help of x-rays and sophisticated tools the archaeologists ultimately saw the treasure that had lain forgotten at Pedra island for nearly 500 years.

Underwater museum

Objects from Titanic, the most ill-fated luxury liner lie scattered across the ocean floor.

The head of a ceramic doll still wears a smile and the wooden slots on a deck bench are gone. Possibly eaten away by undersea creatures.

A teak staircase remains noticeably intact because the chemicals applied to keep the wood from weathering have preserved it.Shipwrecks attract many kinds of sea creatures and divers. Archaeologists and underwater explorers find recent wrecks less interesting than the older ones.

Still by supporting a world of life and colour, new wrecks create their own hidden treasures of the sea.