The Pearl Ship

[4girlsintx]

Have not watched this video but found it while perusing the net.

The Lost Ship of the Mojave Desert | Myth Hunters | American Heroes Channel

Also, for those who are old enough to remember the Desert Magazines, there are archived issues from the start to end. Good, interesting reading w/many a stories of treasure legends.

Desert Magazine Archives |

 

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[whiskyninja]

Spanish Galleon

I've always loved this story. It seems too persistent, not to at least have some basis in fact. I'd love to go looking if anyone's interested. Sounds like Gallum is pretty confident in his location. My gut tells me that this one is the rolling ship that was built later to transport emigrants, though. Seems like an authentic 500 year old Spanish vessel that was essentially destroyed to finish off a Granny flat in someone's backyard, would raise quite a few more eyebrows. But what do I know? I'm not interested in treasure, so much as exploring and finally putting the story to rest. Thanks everyone

 

[whiskyninja]

By the way, I am amazed at the extensive research done on this subject, and would like to congratulate everyone on their efforts. Thank you!

 

[Oroblanco]

I'm not interested in treasure, so much as exploring and finally putting the story to rest. Thanks everyone

Are you feeling alright? Have you hit your head recently or taken a bad fall? Had a very high fever? Maybe some bad hooch? Just kidding of course, if you are independently wealthy and would not have any use for free money, I can sure help you out by disposing of all treasures found, and will thank you with a smile too!

Welcome to Treasurenet by the way Whiskyninja! If and when you do go look for the lost ship of the desert I hope you will keep us posted if you find anything interesting. I won't ask for exact locations. I agree that this is one of the most enduring, mysterious and even romantic legends of the southwest, surely it has to be based on factual events. Wishing you a very Happy and prosperous New Year,
Oroblanco

Coffee anyone?

 

[whiskyninja]

In fact I have taken a bad fall, hit my head, AND had some really terrible hooch recently (not in that order). I guess I have an exciting life. I think I'm going to go poke around in El Centro/Brawley this week, and see if anyone will talk to me. Personally, I think all of this would make a great book. Hell no I'm not rich! And as far as free money? Which one of you guys hasn't already spent a small fortune on equipment I'm just not a treasure hunter. More or less an obsessive romantic. Anyway, thank you for your kind words. Happy New Year to you and yours.

p.s what's with the coffee thing?

 

[Oroblanco]

In fact I have taken a bad fall, hit my head, AND had some really terrible hooch recently (not in that order). I guess I have an exciting life. I think I'm going to go poke around in El Centro/Brawley this week, and see if anyone will talk to me. Personally, I think all of this would make a great book. Hell no I'm not rich! And as far as free money? Which one of you guys hasn't already spent a small fortune on equipment I'm just not a treasure hunter. More or less an obsessive romantic. Anyway, thank you for your kind words. Happy New Year to you and yours.

p.s what's with the coffee thing?

Glad to see you have a good sense of humor! (It is a vital requirement around here!) But on a more serious note, don't write off the stash of pearls either, if you get lucky they would be worth a fortune. They predate the 'farm' pearls that are so common today, and command premium prices. You never know what you might find when you go out treasure hunting!

Side thing here but another old THer's saying is also all too true, that is you never know who will show up to 'help' when you are digging up treasure, so keep that in mind if you should find de Iturbe's pearling ship. It would not have been a huge Spanish galleon, more like the caravels that were used to sail in that day, as they were good at getting through shallower waters. I have strong doubt that the wood of the ship would be intact enough to build anything out of it. Even when wood does not rot in a desert, it often becomes "punky" over time, becoming like styrofoam.

The coffee thing: - most of us here are coffee addicts, and since we can not share coffee around the campfire (until we should ever arrange to get together for a meet some day) it is common to offer one 'virtual' like this:


There is no requirement and some people think it is quite silly. But then some people think treasure hunting at all is not just silly it is insanity, greed etc.

Anyway while our skeptics love to dismiss the whole story of a "pearl ship" (much less the pirate ship Content which is another possible 'ship in the desert') it is a matter of historical record that the Colorado river has broken through to flood the Salton sea periodically, including in relatively modern times. The Salton sea dries up remarkably fast too, so the argument that it would have still been flooded centuries later does not 'hold water' (ha ha cheap pun intended there) anyway you have probably read all this in the previous discussions. Good luck to you amigo, I hope you find that ship loaded with pearls!

And wishing anyone reading this a very happy and prosperous New Year!
Oroblanco

 

[whiskyninja]

Thank you! I'll let you guys know if I learn anything new. Off to the desert sands!!!

 

[Shortfinger]

Thank you! I'll let you guys know if I learn anything new. Off to the desert sands!!!

Whiskyninja,
Welcome to TNet. Based on what I have seen and read, I suspect that there are at least 3, possibly as many as 4 or 5 different lost ships in the area, and I would be interested in finding one (or more) myself as well. I suspect that there won’t be much, if any, treasure left in the ships. It seems likely that any pearls would have deteriorated to the point of being worthless over the several hundred years they have been buried in the desert soil. Since you aren’t all that interested in treasure, you might want to keep an eye out for any really heavy black pebbles. If you find any, I’ll be glad to take them off of your hands. If you find a lot of them Oro might be interested in a couple as well…. They have been reported in several places in the vicinity of the reported lost ship finds (that is, in the Imperial Valley, not necessarily associated with the ships)….They could be just about anywhere.

JB

 

[gollum]

The Spanish Caravelle was found in the 1950s just South of Highway 78 (East of El Centro). The aft section is the guest quarters of one of the finders' houses.

The issue with pearls specifically is that the ground composition would not promote pearls lasting a long time buried in it (pearls can't take either high alkaline or acidic soil).

There are other boats out there though. Don't forget the Viking Longboat South of Agua Caliente Hot Springs (South of Vallecito). Shouldn't be too far from The Bow Willow Camp Ground.


Mike

 

[Shortfinger]

The Spanish Caravelle was found in the 1950s just South of Highway 78 (East of El Centro). The aft section is the guest quarters of one of the finders' houses.

The issue with pearls specifically is that the ground composition would not promote pearls lasting a long time buried in it (pearls can't take either high alkaline or acidic soil).

There are other boats out there though. Don't forget the Viking Longboat South of Agua Caliente Hot Springs (South of Vallecito). Shouldn't be too far from The Bow Willow Camp Ground.


Mike

Hi, Mike. I thought you might have lost interest in this thread. Welcome back. I would like to do some conjectures here. Feel free to disagree with me if you want to.. I know you are not shy about that kind of thing HAHAHAHAHA. You are certainly one of the most knowledgeable on this subject, and I respect your opinion, although I don’t always agree with you In my mind, the possible ships in the area are: 1. The Caravelle under the dunes south of 78, which someone salvaged the wood from to build a guest quarters on a house in the 1950s. This seems a likely candidate for the “Pearl Ship”. 2. The ship on a ranch owned by Nels Jacobson near Imperial, from which he supposedly recovered and sold several jewels in the 1910s/20s. this was extensively researched by Pegleglooker in this thread. This seems a likely candidate for the “Content” 3. The ship reported to be near Superstition Mountain in the bombing range. Possibly Pearl Ship, possible something else. 4. The Viking Ship possibly near Bow Willow campground. The description of this ship sounds very similar to the ship described by Hank Brandt, located in the vicinity of his mine. It is hard for me to believe that there are TWO similar ships out there, but possible, I suppose. 5. Early reports of a ship in Coyote Canyon. Another possible for the Pearl Ship.There may be more, but these are what I consider the most credible. Any comments are welcome.

JB

 

[gollum]

Hi, Mike. I thought you might have lost interest in this thread. Welcome back. I would like to do some conjectures here. Feel free to disagree with me if you want to.. I know you are not shy about that kind of thing HAHAHAHAHA. You are certainly one of the most knowledgeable on this subject, and I respect your opinion, although I don’t always agree with you In my mind, the possible ships in the area are: 1. The Caravelle under the dunes south of 78, which someone salvaged the wood from to build a guest quarters on a house in the 1950s. This seems a likely candidate for the “Pearl Ship”. 2. The ship on a ranch owned by Nels Jacobson near Imperial, from which he supposedly recovered and sold several jewels in the 1910s/20s. this was extensively researched by Pegleglooker in this thread. This seems a likely candidate for the “Content” 3. The ship reported to be near Superstition Mountain in the bombing range. Possibly Pearl Ship, possible something else. 4. The Viking Ship possibly near Bow Willow campground. The description of this ship sounds very similar to the ship described by Hank Brandt, located in the vicinity of his mine. It is hard for me to believe that there are TWO similar ships out there, but possible, I suppose. 5. Early reports of a ship in Coyote Canyon. Another possible for the Pearl Ship.There may be more, but these are what I consider the most credible. Any comments are welcome.

JB

Hey Buddy,

Who me? I am just a shy little flower! HAHAHA

*The Coyote Canyon version is the most widely written about; Some old prospector in about 1908 sees a Haboob Blowing up and takes shelter. After the sandstorm blows over, he finds his burro dead and himself right on a ship that had baskets of pearls on the deck.

*I don't know that much about the Nels Jacobsen Story. I only know that he was fairly famous as a stock breeder in Imperial Valley by about 1910.

*While it may seem implausible to have two ships in the same area, I doubt Hank Brandt's "Petrified" Ship and the Viking Longboat are completely different. Brandt was in the late 1800s, and he describes:

At present, all that remains is curving line of ship's beam and petrified pieces of wood.

That is completely different from the description by Myrtle Botts of the Viking Longboat South of Agua Caliente. That boat was almost complete. They could even see where what looked like round shields had been attached to the sides. Now, could one or both have been full of BS? ABSOLUTELY! HAHAHA That is what makes treasure hunting so much fun!

Mike

 

[Shortfinger]

Hey Buddy,

Who me? I am just a shy little flower! HAHAHA

*The Coyote Canyon version is the most widely written about; Some old prospector in about 1908 sees a Haboob Blowing up and takes shelter. After the sandstorm blows over, he finds his burro dead and himself right on a ship that had baskets of pearls on the deck.

*I don't know that much about the Nels Jacobsen Story. I only know that he was fairly famous as a stock breeder in Imperial Valley by about 1910.

*While it may seem implausible to have two ships in the same area, I doubt Hank Brandt's "Petrified" Ship and the Viking Longboat are completely different. Brandt was in the late 1800s, and he describes:



That is completely different from the description by Myrtle Botts of the Viking Longboat South of Agua Caliente. That boat was almost complete. They could even see where what looked like round shields had been attached to the sides. Now, could one or both have been full of BS? ABSOLUTELY! HAHAHA That is what makes treasure hunting so much fun!

Mike

Shy little flower? HAHAHAHA

Yeah, I had forgotten the exact description of Hank's ship, but it still seems unlikely that there are 2 ships sticking out of a canyon wall in the same area. So, either there are at least 6 possible ships in the area, or Myrtle was mistaken or exaggerating a little. Either way, there are a LOT of reported sightings of ships. Nels' story, to briefly recap, had a ship partly buried out on his back 40 somewhere. He used part of the planking to build a pig pen, and he used to disappear down a hole into the ship, and come out with some jewels that he sold in Los Angeles. If true, this seems to point to the "Content" or some other pirate ship, with the "Content" being the most likely candidate. Also, if true, it probably doesn't hold any more treasure, since Nels would have cleaned it out.....

JB

 

[gollum]

If true.

I don't think there's anything but some history left, which is why I stopped giving too much of a care about it. If somebody were inclined as to still find it, a little run on Ancestry.com will net the lucky looker a bunch of relatives of Nels Jacobson. Just sayin'.

Mike

 

[whiskyninja]

So, according to the dots I've connected, this puts it in, or near, glamis. This is a REALLY popular area for off-roaders, and always has been. I went there the other day and asked around. Nobody knew anything, except where to buy beer. Which wasn't completely useless information. Also, about half of southern California was there, off-roading.

Gollum, do you think there's anything left at all (lumber, iron etc.)? You seem to know quite a bit about this particular ship.

 

[Oroblanco]

So, this puts it in, or near, glamis. This is a REALLY popular area for off-roaders. I went there the other day and asked around. Nobody knew anything, except where to buy beer. Which wasn't completely useless information. Also, about half of southern California was there off-roading.

Don't let that discourage you, people can and do run right over top of hidden treasures all the time. Most people are not treasure hunters so are not looking for such things. In fact all that tearing around with dirt-digging tires might help uncover the ship some day.

 

[Shortfinger]

If true.

I don't think there's anything but some history left, which is why I stopped giving too much of a care about it. If somebody were inclined as to still find it, a little run on Ancestry.com will net the lucky looker a bunch of relatives of Nels Jacobson. Just sayin'.

Mike

Yeah, I've pretty much lost interest in the Nels ship as well, except for recounting the legend, as far as looking for it. He sold the land and moved away, he most likely cleaned it out, it'll be on private property, and well buried.

JB

 

[Shortfinger]

So, according to the dots I've connected, this puts it in, or near, glamis. This is a REALLY popular area for off-roaders, and always has been. I went there the other day and asked around. Nobody knew anything, except where to buy beer. Which wasn't completely useless information. Also, about half of southern California was there, off-roading.

Gollum, do you think there's anything left at all (lumber, iron etc.)? You seem to know quite a bit about this particular ship.

For sure, the area described by Mike is in the Glamis area, south of the 78, just past Osborn Park Road. He posted a screen shot from Google Earth of the area in post #393 of this thread. The last time we had any correspondence over this, he said it was well covered by blow sand. Of course, that changes all the time out there, so it could be uncovered at any time. As far as most of the people that frequent the area, I suspect that if most of them came across some wood sticking out of the sand, they would just pick it up and take it back to camp for a bonfire..... If you do happen to find it, some pictures would be nice.

JB

 

[gollum]

What had happened was, a new poster popped up, and asked if I was interested in knowing exactly where the Spanish Ship was buried. Stupid question, right? He sent me a Bing Maps pic of the exact spot that even showed a bit of the hull sticking out. He also gave me the name of the soft drink distributor who built his guest house out of the wood from that Caravelle. Newer maps dont look quite the same, but I have highlighted the area where the last part of the hull remains (as far as I know).



Roy is right that people not looking for a four hundred year old Spanish Ship probably wouldn't recognize it, with just a bit sticking out from under forty or fifty feet of blow sand.

Good Luck - Mike

 

[Shortfinger]

What had happened was, a new poster popped up, and asked if I was interested in knowing exactly where the Spanish Ship was buried. Stupid question, right? He sent me a Bing Maps pic of the exact spot that even showed a bit of the hull sticking out. He also gave me the name of the soft drink distributor who built his guest house out of the wood from that Caravelle. Newer maps dont look quite the same, but I have highlighted the area where the last part of the hull remains (as far as I know).

View attachment 1257565

Roy is right that people not looking for a four hundred year old Spanish Ship probably wouldn't recognize it, with just a bit sticking out from under forty or fifty feet of blow sand.

Good Luck - Mike

Yeah, I ran that area a long time ago a few times, but never saw anything. I have looked on Google Earth, both at the latest and all of the historical images as well, and haven't seen anything either, except for a lot of tire tracks over just about every square foot of the area. I suspect that it is either buried or gone... Hopefully you will find something, Whiskyninja. For sure, you have a better chance of finding something out there than I do sitting here looking at Google Earth. Of course, if I had seen something promising, I would have gone and looked....

Good luck.

JB

 

[markmar]

Why to abandon the ship on the east side of the Salton sea ? Only fools would tried to return from the side of the fresh mud and desert . The only logic decision would be the return to be done from the west side , the mountains .
To be trapped the ship inside the land , the Salton sea should be under 46 ft altitude . I made a map in GE which shows the margins of the Salton sea at 46 ft altitude ( blue colour ). The red line is in the Delta ( Mexico ) region and is the highest point in the wash from the lower point of the region . So , if the Salton sea is under 46 ft , then there is a sand barrier which avoid to pass to the ocean , and if the Salton sea is over 46 ft , then falls on the other side to the ocean .
Now , what should do a logic and smart captain ? IMO , he would try to find o closer and safer way to the west side of the Salton sea and to hide the ship if this is possible for a future return .
What would be the closer and safer way ? IMO , at the north end of the mountains from the west side ( green colour ) , because if they would passed the mountains at the first place ( red line ), they would found on the other side water and mud .
IMO , at the green circle region ( see the second GE image ) , is the only place where they could hide the ship , because there was a little gulf which was surrounded by high hills .

This could be the real story of the Pearl Ship .