Treasure of the "Julia Ann"

[M. A. Nazario]

The Julia Ann sank off Manua’e Island in the Society Islands in 1855. It contained a chest which, according to Captain Pond, contained:

• $15,000 in gold English sovereigns
• Two gold watches
• Some rings
• Other jewelry

Also, mate Mr. Owens took two bags of gold sovereigns containing about $8,000 and put them in his stateroom, and was never able to return to them.

The Boston Daily Advertiser, 18 March 1856, later reported the cargo of the Julia Ann to be "valued at $10,000, besides which the captain had $15,000, and the passengers about $5,000 in gold coin, all of which was totally lost.” Pond later wrote in a letter to his nephew dated 1 June 1856 that he did manage to save "a roll of Sterling Exchange valued at $10,000.

According to journalist James Cowan in Suwarrow Gold: and Other Stories of the Great South Sea, it had two chests, of which Tom Charlton recovered one; his share was $3,000, and he worked with one other partner, whose share was also likely $3,000.

The writing made by Captin Pond does not mention the two chests. Perhaps Cowan misunderstood that there were two bags, not chests, that were being sought.

Is there any money that still remains sunken off Manua’e? If so, it has not been found. The site of the wreck, however, has been identified, and some artifacts retrieved.

 

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[Crow]

The remaining money is long gone amigo, And Australian maritime archaeologist Paul Hunley? was part of a joint Australian and French team rediscovered the shipwreck years ago. The department responsible was closed due to funding cuts in Polynesia. they had bits of shipwreck cups knives excreta

The wreck site was plundered not long after wreck in 1855. . One such share ended up on another island in the cook islands.

Today the island is abandoned with an abandoned copra plantation on the motus of the atoll.

Crow

 

[M. A. Nazario]

The remaining money is long gone amigo, And Australian maritime archaeologist Paul Hunley? was part of a joint Australian and French team rediscovered the shipwreck years ago. The department responsible was closed due to funding cuts in Polynesia. they had bits of shipwreck cups knives excreta

The wreck site was plundered not long after wreck in 1855. . One such share ended up on another island in the cook islands.

Today the island is abandoned with an abandoned copra plantation on the motus of the atoll.

Crow

Thank you for this information. I only know of Charlton finding some of the money and it being left on Suwarrow when he was murdered (or perhaps his murderers made off with the money). I believe that there may be more gold littering the coral or seabed near where Hunley explored the shipwreck, but that most of it was plundered, if not by Charlton, then certainly by other South Sea rovers.

 

[Crow]

Probably but the ocean is not very kind to shipwrecks on these atolls that act like cheese grater. The Atolls have huge drop offs much of vessel will have broken up and floated off creating derbies filed scattered on wind and current sinking many thousand of feet deep on sea floor.

Crow