Gold, Silver Coins Found In 1715 Shipwreck

Above, silver coins and artifacts on display at the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some divers became millionaires when they discovered a treasure trove of silver and gold coins from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck off the coast of Florida.

The Palm Beach Post reported:

SEBASTIAN, FL — More than 1,000 silver coins and five gold coins worth about $1 million were recovered from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck off the coast of Florida, a shipwreck salvage company said.

On Sept. 30, 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels LLC announced that over 1,000 silver coins known as "reales" were recovered by Captain Levin Shavers and the crew of M/V (motor vessel) "Just Right" off the southeast region of Florida, widely known as Treasure Coast. Five gold coins called "escudos" were also recovered in a separate find.

The company's discovery is part of a "vast fortune carried by the fleet, which was transporting New World riches back to Spain" when a hurricane struck on July 31, 1715, according to a news release. The company said historians estimate that about $400 million worth of gold, silver, and jewels were lost in the storm. 

To read more, go here. 

SS Dominator Shipwreck

Above, the SS Dominator wrecked at Rocky Point at Palos Verdes Peninsula, circa 1961.

Back in the first half of the 1960s, we used to go fishing with my grandfather. He had an Elgin outboard boat (from Sears). 

We would head out from either Norm's Landing near San Pedro or from King Harbor in Redondo Beach. When we headed out from King Harbor, we would head out near Palos Verdes Peninsula. While heading near Palos Verdes, we would go by the shipwreck of the SS Dominator.

Back on March 13, 1961 (definitely not a lucky day), the SS Dominator, a freighter, ran aground at Rocky Point at Palos Verdes Peninsula.

From Wikipedia:

SS Dominator, a freighter, ran ashore on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the South Bay area of California in 1961 due to a navigational error while lost in fog. Its remains can still be seen today and serves as a point of interest for hikers and kayakers.

Over the ensuing years, ocean waves pounded the wreck so that very little of it remains visible today. For several years after it ran aground, it could be seen from Redondo, Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches.

This blog post was prompted by the above photo posted on Facebook.

Happy Sinko De Mayo!

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Costa Concordia Captain Found Guilty of Manslaughter

Above, the Costa Concordia after the disaster.

The captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia has been found guilty of manslaughter and received his sentence.

According to the BBC:

The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. 

Captain Francesco Schettino was at the helm when the ship hit rocks and sank in 2012, killing 32 people. 

He was accused of taking the liner too close to the shore and then abandoning ship with passengers and crew still on board. 

Schettino denied the charges and said he was being made a scapegoat.

To read more, go here.