I wrote this book nine years ago about my treasure diving projects around the world and we're still going strong. Manila galleons biggest/richest

[sirwilliam]

 

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[bobinsd]

Anything of interest on the west coast?

 

[sirwilliam]

Anything of interest on the west coast?

Yes absolutely. California has three manila galleons oregon has one baja california has one. I believe two of them are on catalina island and i have research this a lot and it comes what we call from primary sources translated into english what's your interest?

 

[sirwilliam]

What did you find

 

[sirwilliam]

Yes absolutely. California has three manila galleons oregon has one baja california has one. I believe two of them are on catalina island and i have research this a lot and it comes what we call from primary sources translated into english what's your interest?

Looks like your name is bob & live in san diego. I've lived in oceanside carlsbad and fallbrook for many years and i'm riding you from the eastern philippines where most of the hundred n8 spanish manila gallons tank and 80% of them are in shallow water because they grounded. They weighed up to 2500 tons and had a draft of 35 feet sometimes more. Had five decks. Carried over a thousand people

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

SirWilliam,

Sorry, our rules require members be charter member to sell here.

 

[Tanneyhill]

Looks like your name is bob & live in san diego. I've lived in oceanside carlsbad and fallbrook for many years and i'm riding you from the eastern philippines where most of the hundred n8 spanish manila gallons tank and 80% of them are in shallow water because they grounded. They weighed up to 2500 tons and had a draft of 35 feet sometimes more. Had five decks. Carried over a thousand people

Anyone actively researching Manilla galleon wrecks in the orient? Does anyone know how many documented wrecks are out that way? Seems like the OGs of the shipwreck research/hunting game have long passed. I miss their witty humor and passion. Been kind of quiet as we transition to the new generation of wreck researchers and hunters.

 

[Crow]

Anyone actively researching Manilla galleon wrecks in the orient? Does anyone know how many documented wrecks are out that way? Seems like the OGs of the shipwreck research/hunting game have long passed. I miss their witty humor and passion. Been kind of quiet as we transition to the new generation of wreck researchers and hunters.

Gidday amigo heaps

two that require further research is Jesus Maria and the Santa Ana - Both these vessels sank in the San Bernardino Straight with over 2,000,000 silver pesos, after doing battle with a superior Dutch fleet, which ambushed them there in 1620. These two shipwrecks have not been recovered.

Just one on many. other wrecks have been discovered and salvage. many artifacts are in the national museum of the people in the Philippines.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Anything of interest on the west coast?

San Agustin - World renown archaeologist/treasure hunter,the late Robert Marx, has located the wreck of the San Agustin, which was one of a fleet of four galleons from Manila bound for Acapulco, which wrecked in Drake's Bay north of San Francisco, in 1690, and now lies in part of the Point Reyes National Seashore Park.

There has been several attempts to get permission to do some excavation on the site, but legal restrictions have so far prevented any attempt. You have the same problem Catalina island.

Santa Marta - Ran aground on Santa Catalina Island in 1528. Crew and some cargo was saved. Unknown if further salvage was attempted.

Nuestra Senora de Ayuda - 320 tons, wrecked on a rock, west of Catalina Island in 1641. Some crew survived, but cargo was lost.


San Sebastian - attacked by English pirate George Compton, Jan. 7, 1754, she was run aground just west of Santa Catalina Island, and soon sunk in about 170' of water.

There another darker problem to consider on sea floor ww2 munitions have been dumped on deepest part of the sea floor between the mainland and Catalina as well as thousands of barrels of DDT.

All that is to say that a giant DDT graveyard at the bottom of the Pacific off a very trafficked bit of ocean is decidedly bad. Between 1940 and 1960-ish, The Montrose Chemical Corporation of California in Los Angeles simply poured DDT into the sewage pipes feeding into the ocean.

After World War II, barrels and barrels of a DDT mixture were hucked off boats, and today they’re still there, rolling around on the sea floor off Catalina Island, leaking away. According to reports, if they floated the drum was holed to let then sink.

The most concentrated layer of the stuff is sitting under only about three inches of sand. As is the nature of DDT, it’s not breaking down in any meaningful way, there is worry if it gets disturbed that it will float to the surface.

“Trawler, cable lays could reintroduce this stuff back up to the surface,” UC Santa Barbara scientist David Valentine CLAIMED animals feeding — if a whale goes down and burrows on the seafloor, that could kick stuff up.”

No one really has any idea what to do about the stuff and, since it’s sitting around 3,000 feet deep, cleaning it up isn’t an easy task. So for now, the plan is to simply keep a close eye on it and keep all the fingers crossed that it stays where it is.

So searching for shipwrecks there is out of the question in the deepest part between Catalina and the mainland and the wrecks near Catalina is protected I believe by the state of California?

 

[enrada]

I did about 4 years of research into Manila Galleons. I have locations or information on 55 sites. Originally asked for a permit in the Philippines. Would have had to get permission(pay off) from Cardinal Sin. Then get permission from Ferdinand. Luckily contacted the then CEO and owner of Philippines Airlines before it was nationalized who told us that Ferdinand would give us a permit but when we went to leave that Imelda (needed more money for shoes) would be at the airport and say thank you for finding it for us.
Then decided to get permit in Guam for the Pilar(1690). Tried to get a permit from the governor Ricky Bordallio(committed suicide day before being sent to Lompoc for corruption) but was asked to give a brown paper bag to his able bodied assistant Ben Pangolin(sp?) which I was opposed to. Waited for new governor Joe Ada who gave us a permit without any corruption or payoff.
Then had to deal with Robert Marx(now deceased) who filed an Admiralty claim against the Pilar. Sir Robert borrowed artifacts from Jim Tolan a diver on Guam to use in the trial. I hired Peter Hess(now deceased) to help us fight against Elizabeth Meloncain(lawyer for Robert, also deceased(another interesting story),) whose best friend was the judges law clerk. Ended up going to 9th circuit in California and won the rights back.
There is more to this story about a false claim in the Pacific Daily News. I went to Washington DC and talked to the CEO of Gannet corporation about the article which was very effective.
Almost forgot about James Delgado and Tony Carrol(sp?) from SCRU who came on a junket to Guam to talk them out of giving me a permit.
Also had 3 partners on this project.
If you wanted to try one of the Galleons in the SB strait it would be better to locate it then pay off a local to recover artifact and then buy it from them otherwise you would have to pay them off anyway. The only way of doing business in the Philippines would be self contained on a large boat where you don't have to go to shore on a daily basis.
After saying all the above I still have one Galleon in the Philippines on my radar list and another one that is not in the Phlippines. Frank Godio salvaged a MG on Fortuna Island at the entrance of Manila bay. Also know of another clandestine project from the past.
Currently working on another better project with no corruption in another country!
Anybody in Hollywood need a script for a movie!!!!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Anybody in Hollywood need a script for a movie!!!!

Sounds like you've certainly got enough good material for a movie. If you do write a script, will it have paragraph breaks? (Joking, of course, but it would sure make it easier to read. )

 

[Crow]

Sounds like you've certainly got enough good material for a movie. If you do write a script, will it have paragraph breaks? (Joking, of course, but it would sure make it easier to read. )

Until Hollywood stuffs it up. Especially if they get their hands on it.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Ironic in all my visits there over the years I never made cent in the Philippines. First in 85-86 then in 93, 95, 97, 2004, 2012 and recently. The Only time I made money, was 100 grand negotiating a deal to sell silver coins. Not as sexy as gold. I never set foot in the country at the time.

I had story no one was interested in it. Even tried to give it away? No one was interested because it was not billions of tons of gold. As is the crazy is over there. But treasure all the same and a opportunity arose to recover it.

I brokered a deal couch surfing from mom's lounge room in another country. I had moved back in to look after mum with dementia. until she died. So brokered a deal from a lap top and smart phone from my mom's coffee table.

It went like clockwork much to my secret disbelief. everything went perfect. usually some thing goes wrong but this time. Sweet. 2 weeks I had my cut money in the bank. The easiest money I ever made. All parties concerned made money. I got my little cut everyone was happy. Until a local official found out and wanted his cut? But that's another story amigos.

Crow

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Ironic in all my visits there over the years I never made cent in the Philippines. First in 85-86 then in 93, 95, 97, 2004, 2012 and recently. The Only time I made money, was 100 grand negotiating a deal to sell silver coins. Not as sexy as gold. I never set foot in the country at the time.

I had story no one was interested in it. Even tried to give it away? No one was interested because it was not billions of tons of gold. As is the crazy is over there. But treasure all the same and a opportunity arose to recover it.

I brokered a deal couch surfing from mom's lounge room in another country. I had moved back in to look after mum with dementia. until she died. So brokered a deal from a lap top and smart phone from my mom's coffee table.

It went like clockwork much to my secret disbelief. everything went perfect. usually some thing goes wrong but this time. Sweet. 2 weeks I had my cut money in the bank. The easiest money I ever made. All parties concerned made money. I got my little cut everyone was happy. Until a local official found out and wanted his cut? But that's another story amigos.

Crow

The Philippine Islands are a great place to find a wealth of treasure(s) and gold, barring in mind some stressful or life-threatening inconveniences, i.e., scammers, bandits, kidnappers, roving NPA'S, armed Muslim separatists & other related groups(MNLF, BIFF, breakaway MILF factions & Abu Sayyaf), predatory police, military, gov't officials & local political kingpins.

You know, just like any other treasure adventure...

 

[enrada]

Just starting writing and forgot to stop and take a breath!!!!

 

[Gold Maven]

couldn't find it on Amazon, got any to sell?

 

[Old Bookaroo]

couldn't find it on Amazon, got any to sell?

I'm also in the market for a copy. No response (so far) to DM's.

 

[Crow]

The Philippine Islands are a great place to find a wealth of treasure(s) and gold, barring in mind some stressful or life-threatening inconveniences, i.e., scammers, bandits, kidnappers, roving NPA'S, armed Muslim separatists & other related groups(MNLF, BIFF, breakaway MILF factions & Abu Sayyaf), predatory police, military, gov't officials & local political kingpins.

You know, just like any other treasure adventure...

Yep cannot agree more.

After South America , New guinea, I worked in Brunei I had this strange gun ho! obsession of pushing my luck. I had the opportunity to search for the remains of a lost British settlement abandoned on Balambangan island in Sulu sea. in 1775.

Balambangan Island is located in the northwest of Borneo, and now is a part of Malaysia. In the middle of the 18 the Century, the mounting of Sino British trade resulted British East India Company need to seek a settlement in Malay Archipelago for entrepot. An idea of a settlement can took hold after the investigation by Alexander Dalrymple of Balambangan Island.

Here is a picture of him below.

Later, Dalrymple negotiated with Sulu Sultan and they signed a treaty of cession. Dalrymple went back to London and negotiated with the Court of Directors of EIC, after a few years later, directors agreed with the plan of Balambangan Island, but Dalrymple and directors of EIC cannot reach a concensus with issue of wages and authority.

The Court of Directors appointed Bencoolen staff John Herbert as the chief of Balambangan Settlement, consequently under the Herbert’s administration; the settlement did not attain the purpose because of his deception and mismanagement.

The ruler of Sulu Sultanate Sultan Israel perceived establishment of Balambangan threaten to his kingdom, especially on the trade between China and Sulu. Hence, he decided to devastate this settlement. After the Suluan’s attack and plunder Balambangan Island, they obtained a large quantity of ammunition and property; they allowed to be dominate the Sulu Archipelago in decades of the years.

his ammunition also enhanced piracy in Southeast Asia in future. Finally, this settlement was failed and EIC gained valuable experience from this experiment in establish settlement in Southeast Asia, especially on establishment of settlement in Penang and Singapore.

in 1908 a newspaper story there was buried treasure hidden in the well of the former settlement.

This newspaper story was wrote on the information based on a private lefter written years later after 1800 after the event by john Herbert below,. who survived the pirate attack and claimed her had thrown treasure down the well following the attack by pirates. he was one of few survivors from the settlement.

1999 while exploring search for this alleged site of this early settlement I was captured on Balambangan island in Sulu Sea disputed territory between Philippines and Malaysia which happened to be island sort of no mans land used for a training camp of Abu Sayyaf in northern part of island

The same group beheaded a few American tourists from raid on Malaysian resort. They thought I was CIA and hung me upside down from branch on tree by my feat. My Malayan guide had much worse fate.

The treasure hunting gods gave me clemency that day! They left me alone hanging upside down by my feet and went back to their camp to consult with their leader. leaving me alone. The branch on the tree broke and that was only reason I am here typing this.

A was a real big slap in the face and reality check. Although I some times wondered if I never learned my lesson?



Crow

Just starting writing and forgot to stop and take a breath!!!!

Don't worry about it! People reckon Old Crow can talk for minute Straight without taking breath.

Crow

 

[cyzak]

San Agustin - World renown archaeologist/treasure hunter,the late Robert Marx, has located the wreck of the San Agustin, which was one of a fleet of four galleons from Manila bound for Acapulco, which wrecked in Drake's Bay north of San Francisco, in 1690, and now lies in part of the Point Reyes National Seashore Park.

There has been several attempts to get permission to do some excavation on the site, but legal restrictions have so far prevented any attempt. You have the same problem Catalina island.

Santa Marta - Ran aground on Santa Catalina Island in 1528. Crew and some cargo was saved. Unknown if further salvage was attempted.

Nuestra Senora de Ayuda - 320 tons, wrecked on a rock, west of Catalina Island in 1641. Some crew survived, but cargo was lost.


San Sebastian - attacked by English pirate George Compton, Jan. 7, 1754, she was run aground just west of Santa Catalina Island, and soon sunk in about 170' of water.

There another darker problem to consider on sea floor ww2 munitions have been dumped on deepest part of the sea floor between the mainland and Catalina as well as thousands of barrels of DDT.

All that is to say that a giant DDT graveyard at the bottom of the Pacific off a very trafficked bit of ocean is decidedly bad. Between 1940 and 1960-ish, The Montrose Chemical Corporation of California in Los Angeles simply poured DDT into the sewage pipes feeding into the ocean.

After World War II, barrels and barrels of a DDT mixture were hucked off boats, and today they’re still there, rolling around on the sea floor off Catalina Island, leaking away. According to reports, if they floated the drum was holed to let then sink.

The most concentrated layer of the stuff is sitting under only about three inches of sand. As is the nature of DDT, it’s not breaking down in any meaningful way, there is worry if it gets disturbed that it will float to the surface.

“Trawler, cable lays could reintroduce this stuff back up to the surface,” UC Santa Barbara scientist David Valentine CLAIMED animals feeding — if a whale goes down and burrows on the seafloor, that could kick stuff up.”

No one really has any idea what to do about the stuff and, since it’s sitting around 3,000 feet deep, cleaning it up isn’t an easy task. So for now, the plan is to simply keep a close eye on it and keep all the fingers crossed that it stays where it is.

So searching for shipwrecks there is out of the question in the deepest part between Catalina and the mainland and the wrecks near Catalina is protected I believe by the state of California?

 

[Mackaydon]

I'll go out on a limb and say Marx never found the San Agustin. That said, he did research and conducted mag. surveys; concluding the vessel was under his 'X marks the spot' which he noted on a chart. Referenced here is his initial permit:

https://www.slc.ca.gov/Meeting_Summaries/1987_Documents/06-30-87/Items/063087R21.pdf

This 87-page document should be 'entertaining reading' to those having an interest in the San Agustin.
Marx's effort was funded though Phoenician Explorations, an entity in which I was a partner.
Don in SoCal