Concepción: In Search of Shipwrecked Treasure - 3
Ever since he was a little kid in Pennsylvania, Burt Webber had been fascinated by stories of shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He learned to scuba dive when he was 16 years old and started going on expeditions at 20. After little luck, he eventually turned his sights to discovering the lost Concepción. Teaming up with historian Jack Haskins, who specialized in researching shipwrecks, an expedition was organized from the Florida Keys in 1977.
Including a large boat, the men also hired a diving team and aerial surveyors to make accurate maps of the Silver Shoals, a remote reef off Hispañola's north coast where the treasure ship sunk under the waves in 1641. For five months the team scoured the reef to no avail, even with the use of a magnetometer. This is an instrument that reacts to changes in the earth's magnetic field caused by the presence of iron.
But when they returned in '78 with with a more advanced cesium magnetometer, their luck changed. As Webber swam with the instrument through the dense coral forest, the lights began to suddenly change color - iron was nearby. WHen the divers began removing sediment from the area it was clear that the treuse was here. Before long they had uncovered a fortune in gold coins, silver bars, chinese porcelain and more. After over three hundred years of searching, the Concepción had been found!
That's impressive that someone was willing to spend 5 months swimming in the ocean searching for treasure. Sounds like the search paid off though. Good for this Webber character.
Posted using Partiko Android
Wow. He actually found the treasure. That was completely unexpected. I thought this story was going to be another life lesson hahaha. Good for him. I feel like there is more to the story coming though... he gets eaten by a shark on the last day just as he is about to get the treasure out of the water?? The hunter can find the treasure but can never actually leave with it because treasure always seems to be cursed!!!!
Posted using Partiko Android
Very cool! I can only imagine the excitement of that moment when you hit on the big discovery! Stories like this make me feel young again and inspire me with awe and a sense of adventure. Since starting to read your posts I have seriously considered quitting my job and going to search for the Forrest Fenn treasure at least six times :)