Oldest Known Shipwreck Found Near Dominican Republic

[bronzecannons]

Oldest Known Shipwreck Found Near Dominican Republic

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Utah based Deep Blue Marine believes they located the oldest known shipwreck off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

Divers have uncovered gold coins, jade statues, and ancient Mayan jewelry.

SEE photos of the artifacts and recovery >>>

The company still believes there are greater treasures.

President of Deep Blue Marine, Wilf Blum says, "This is the history and the birthplace of America and here we are lucky enough to finding the shipwrecks from that time era."

Just a few years after Christopher Columbus discovered the new world, the ship sank into the dark waters off the Dominican coast.

It lay undisturbed until now.

Captain William Rawson was the first to find the treasure’s trail. "We found some old fella in town that was selling a coin. I bought the coin from him and we looked in a book and found it was one of the oldest coins ever minted in the new world," he said.

Rawson used technology such as side scan sonar to search the area where the old local liked to dive.

Little by little he uncovered parts of the wreckage.

“This is pretty incredible when you think about it. This has been on the ocean floor for 450 years," Rawson said.

Divers found gold coins that date back to 1535.

SEE Videos >>>

One particular set of four coins is valued at a million dollars.

Deep Blue Marine gets to keep 50-percent of the recovered items.

The Dominican government gets the rest.

"We found these two mirrors made out of iron pyrite. And they've been lying on the ocean floor for 450 years, but you can still take and turn them and see your face in them," said Rawson.

President Blum says the Spanish ship likely sank during a hurricane.

"If it's the ship we believe it is, she went down in a very violent storm. And the evidence is pointing in that direction. We're finding spikes that were bent completely right around back on themselves," Blum said.

He says never has a shipwreck turned up artifacts so old.

"The only other fleet we know of that's older than this is the 1502 fleet and it's never been discovered," he continued.

Deep Blue Marine is currently salvaging thirteen shipwrecks.

The company built a museum in the Dominican Republic and plans to put some of the items from the most recent find on public display.

Others will go to auction to the highest bidder.

Watch Video: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offb...#ixzz1JLh0xKWb

[old man]

bronzecannons, I have to admit that it was a nice find and I congratulate the company for finding treasure. However it it Not the oldest shipwreck discovered in the Dominica Republic. The company should have done a little more research before making that statement. Several shipwrecks from the 1400's were discovered over 10 years ago.

http://www.indiana.edu/~r317doc/dr/old/html/sha.html

[bronzecannons]

bronzecannons, I have to admit that it was a nice find and I congratulate the company for finding treasure. However it it Not the oldest shipwreck discovered in the Dominica Republic. The company should have done a little more research before making that statement. Several shipwrecks from the 1400's were discovered over 10 years ago.

http://www.indiana.edu/~r317doc/dr/old/html/sha.html

Roger that. Maybe you better inform them about their misleading history blunder.
TW

[FISHEYE]

There are older shipwrecks than that in the Caribbean.A friend of mine knows the location of a bronze age Phoenician wreck.I saw the underwater photos of it.He hasnt found any willing archie yet to help with the project due to that this wreck could change history.This wreck could have something to do with king solomon.

[Bobadilla]

Hi Fisheye,

Phoenician wrecks in the Caribbean were documented already by Bob Marx. I am sure you know his book "In Quest of the Great White Gods".... Regarding the proyect of your friend, I hope you do not want to say us that you have another "treasure map" of this site.....
(no bad feelings, John, if you often make fun from the others, you should accept the same towards you as well.....)

Lobo.....

[Bobadilla]

I almost forgot to state something here.....

Regarding Deep Blue, it's truth that they have found very old coins and other artifacts on the northern coast recently, I saw some of them in the office of National Agency for Underwater Cultural Patrimony.

Regarding Indiana University, they anounced several years ago that they found the wrecks from the second voyage of Christopher Columbus in the bay of La Isabela close to Luperon on the northern coast of the island. The problem is that they only "think" they found the Columbus flagship from this voyage, nicknamed "Mariagalante" that went down together with at least three other caravels somewhere around this bay during a storm. What they found is old anchor - kedge, which would match this period. You cannot use magnetometer in this bay because of high content of iron ore in the bottom and it is also several meters of mud on the bottom there because of close river mouth and its constant sediments.
Just my two cents to the topic.....

Regards,
Lobo

[Chagy]

Hola Compadre,

Como estas hermano? So what do you think they found? "Santa Clara", "La Vera Cruz", "San Bartolome" or the galleon of Luis Velasco?

Is my wreck still there? Write me on my e-mail....

All the best,

Chagy.....

[User]

There are older shipwrecks than that in the Caribbean.A friend of mine knows the location of a bronze age Phoenician wreck.I saw the underwater photos of it.He hasnt found any willing archie yet to help with the project due to that this wreck could change history.This wreck could have something to do with king solomon.

Damn! What is the Hell is going there on the Earth? The truth is not the truth any more...