IGNORANCE CAUSE OF LOSS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS !!!!!! It is common knowledge, a large number of old Spanish ships have sunk while on their voyage from the New World to Spain. The valuable cargo which was loaded in the hull of the vessels went down to the bottom and was lost. Thousands of people paid with their lives and the Spanish Crown lost millions of dollars. A heavy toll, caused by insufficient knowledge of sunken rocks, treacherous currents and hurricanes. But at the same time the 17th century seamen cannot be blamed. Many accidents happened due to the limited technology. Nowadays we have the disposal of good charts, GPS and advanced search methods. A growing number of people have access to the underwater world. Actuated by the desire to get rich and famous they obviously want to make their dreams come true. But often indulge in wishful thinking. In the library some history books be consulted. Thereupon a visit to an archive to obtain a written report. However, the discovery of a single report of loss is by no means sufficient. It is common opinion that written information is correct information. More than twenty years of historical research taught me this is a misunderstanding. Unaware of the existence of manuscripts in other archives which might contain contradictory or important supplementary information. Unaware of successful recovery of goods in the old days or recent years. The found information is considered to be correct, which is a misconception. Ignorance of information and wrong interpretation of documents is the footing for unsuccessful salvage attempts. Profound historical research would have saved the salvor and his investors from disappointment and financial loss. But when is research reliable? The answer is simple. Any document obtained from an archive which deals with the loss of a ship must be studied carefully. The question is where to find those manuscripts. People on board were from different nationality, Government servants, priests etc. Competition between the countries in Europe made that information concerning a shipwreck was send by correspondents to their own Government. Those circumstances are the reason documents are scattered now in different archives. Intermares in the Netherlands recognised this problem long time ago. During more than twenty years any source information concerning shipwrecks has been collected and add in a computer program. Indeed, historical research is time consuming work, but indispensable. In spite of advanced technology many wrecks lie undisturbed on the seabed, waiting for the real professionals. History proves that during the last twenty years numerous salvage attempts have failed. This can easily be checked by articles in the newspapers. Usually insufficient knowledge of the historical facts turn out to be the cause of failure. Unless salvors finally understand the importance of investment in real profound historical research, they will continue to throw money into the sea. Investors in cargo recovery projects should make high demands upon the available historical information. In the past millions of dollars were lost by sea tragedy but lie on the bottom. The old spanish sailors cannot not be blamed because their knowledge was limited. They did not have access to modern technology. Today millions of dollars be lost at sea in search for sunken treasures. In spite treasure hunters have the advance of modern technology, fact is that most attempts to recover the lost treasures are not successful. The cause of failure is as plain as a pikestaff. Dreams are ampty, it is time for rational decisions. Peter M. Potters Please send your comments to: ppotters@wirehub.nl