Top image from 2009 provided by SSR, Bottom image Port Nicholson - www.shippingtimes.co.uk

We recently posted about a press release by Sub Sea Research (SSR) claiming to have located the wreck of a British cargo ship sunk in June 1942 by the German submarine U87. Sub Sea Research claims that the ship was carrying 70 tons of platinum when she sank off the coast of Cape Cod.  SSR says that the ship’s name is the Port Nicholson.

In 2009, Sub Sea Research (SSR) also claimed to have located the wreck of a British cargo ship sunk in June 1942 by the German submarine U87. SSR claimed that the ship was carrying 70 tons of platinum when she sank 40 miles off the coast of Guyana.  The two sets of claims sound remarkably similar, except for the geography of the wrecks.

SSR did not identify the ship from 2009 but used the code-name “Blue Baron.”  SSR also claimed that the also carried ten tons of gold bullion, one and a half tons of industrial diamonds and 16 million carats of gem quality diamonds, in addition to the platinum.

The SSR 2009 announcement of locating the ”Blue Baron” was greeted with definite skepticism. SSR claimed that they had the log-book of the submarine, U87, that sank the ”Blue Baron.”  Historians pointed out that the U87 was not near Guyana in June of 1942. Furthermore, the Shipping Times posted photos of both the Port Nicholson and the reputed “Blue Baron,” which appeared to be identical ships.

Murky treasure ship find raises doubts

It is unclear whether or not the Port Nicholson ever carried the precious metals that SSR claims to be aboard.  The BBC recently quoted Anthony Shusta, an attorney representing the British government, who says that it is unclear if the ship ever carried platinum. “We’re still researching what was on the vessel,” Mr Shusta told the Associated Press news agency. “Our initial research indicated it was mostly machinery and military stores.”

British cast doubt on treasure find

Is the ”Blue Baron” really the Port Nicholson?  Does the “Blue Baron” exist?  And what of the 70 tons of platinum?  Carried on one ship? Two cargoes on two ships? Does it exist at all?

We wish SSR good fortune in all their endeavors. Nevertheless, press releases are not platinum.

Late in the summer of 2011, after 100’s of hours of ROV video, they have seen what appear to be bullion boxes containing 4 bars, each being 400 troy ounces of precious metal. “We have seen boxes indicative of those used to store and ship this type of bullion in 1942. Our video clearly shows the box and our inspection class remotely operated vehicles (ROV) could not lift it due to its weight of about 130 lbs.”

The Richest Shipwreck Treasure, in Bostons back yard

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing along the news.

Wreck of HMS Victoria

While on peace time maneuvers off Libya on June 22, 1893, Vice Admiral George Tryon, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, gave a series of orders that resulted in HMS Camperdown ramming his ship, HMS Victoria, which sank with the loss of 358 lives, including that of the vice admiral.  Also believed to have been lost in the sinking was Admiral Tryon’s collection of Nelson’s personal effects, which he had purchased at auction, including Nelson’s sword.  The wreck of  HMS Victoria was discovered in 2004 in 150 metres of water.  Now, Diver Mark Ellyatt says that he discovered Nelson’s sword and other artifacts in Tryon’s cabin.

Nelson’s £1million sword is discovered at the bottom of the Med (but the shipwreck it’s on is called the Victoria, not the Victory)

The sword is said to have been among a haul of Nelson memorabilia that belonged to Vice Admiral George Tyron.

Collectors could pay up to £1m for the artifact – which is the same one that the Naval Lord shown holding on Nelson’s Column in central London.

However, there are concerns about who would claim ownership of the sword if it is recovered from the sea.

Mr Ellyatt said he found the sword in Tryon’s cabin which had an adjoining cupboard containing a number of items that belonged to Nelson.

‘The MoD wanted to know the whereabouts of anything to do with Nelson. They didn’t want it appearing on auction websites,’ Mr Ellyatt told the Telegraph.

‘They were very interested in the sword but seemed to get cold feet when I offered to bring it up for them. I don’t want people to go and strip the ship bare.

‘I would like to bring the sword to the surface but I worry that it would be seized by the local authorities. If the items are to be recovered, I would like to see them end up in a museum in the UK.’

Mr Ellyatt said that he has hidden the weapon inside the wreck to protect it from looters.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

View of the Nieuwe Oranjetuin Cemetery, Paramaribo, Suriname

The graves of four ship’s captains and merchants dating from the mid-18th century have been found in Suriname, a former Dutch sugar colony on the northern coast of South America. The graves of privateer Capt. Michael Burnham of Middletown, CT; Capt. William Barbut of New London, CT, Capt. Nathaniel Angel and Capt. William Gardner Wanton, both of Rhode Island; were recerntly found in the Dutch colonial cemetery of Nieuw Oranjetuin in Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital city.

Graves Of Connecticut Sea Captains Discovered In South America

The historic inner city of Paramaribo, were the graves were found, lies on the left bank of the wide Paramaribo River, 15 miles up from the river’s mouth. UNECSCO recognizes the city as a world heritage site because of its intact 18th- and 19th-century wooden Dutch colonial buildings on spacious lots along tree-lined streets. Within the old city is the Nieuw Oranjetuin Cemetery, a sandy, five-acre plot once known for its lush orange groves. Established in 1755, it was the main cemetery of the Dutch Reform Church.

Some of the tombs are quite elaborate, little shines built of red brick and marble. By contrast, the headstones of the Yankee sea captains, lying flat in the sandy ground, are plain. The four men were buried between 1758 and 1765. The inscriptions offer no clue as to how they died. What is known is that commerce – based on the ubiquitous slave-worked plantations of the sugar islands – drew these canny New Englanders to the area.

Capt. Burnham, as commander in chief in the Provincial Navy, was tasked with protecting this commerce during the French and Indian War – 1754 to 1763 – when American and ritish shipping in the Caribbean was being harassed by French corsairs. Burnham was sent to the West Indies in the winter of 1757 with orders “to distress his Majesties’ enemies…” The 52-year-old commander was put in charge of the 24-gun brigantine Tartar with a crew of 100. Capt. Burnham carried Letters of Marque from the British crown, allowing him to seize French prizes.

The Burnham family has played a significant role in the maritime world of New England.  Captain William Burham of Bridgewater, CT (1847-1919) was a sailing ship ship captain before coming ashore as a founding manager of American Hawaiian Steamship in 1899.   The Burnhams have also been active in shipbuilding around Essex, Massachusetts for a very long time.  In July we posted about the launching of the pinky schooner Ardelle  at the historic Burnham Boatbuilding yard in Essex, MA.

Thanks to John Warren of the New York History blog for along the article.

The Shipbuilders of Essex

Andrea Doria 1956

Reuters reports that Italy is enthralled by the tale of the “two captains,”  while on CNN another Italian captain, from another ship and another time, is remembered - In Andrea Doria wreck, a captain who shone.

As reported by Reuters:

One is Coast Guard Captain Gregorio De Falco, who furiously ordered the skipper of the Costa Concordia to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations. 

The other is Captain Francesco Schettino – whom newspapers have branded a coward for fleeing in the face of adversity and who is now under house arrest, accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

“Listen Schettino, perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea but I will make you look very bad. I will make you pay for this. Go on board (Expletive!)” De Falco yelled at Schettino during a 4-minute radio exchange made public on Tuesday. 

The imperative phrase in Italian — “Vada a bordo, cazzo!” — was already on T-shirts by Wednesday morning.

When considering the events on the Costa Concordia, it is worth remembering a third Italian captain, Piero Calamai of the ill-fated passenger liner, Andrea Doria. He was recalled yesterday in an article on CNN by Samuel Pecota, an associate professor in the Department of Marine Transportation at the California Maritime Academy and faculty captain of the Training Ship Golden Bear.  Captain Calamai made serious errors of judgement and navigation that contributed to the collision between the Italian luxury liner and the MS Stockholm off Nantucket in 1956.  Nevertheless, when it was clear the ship was sinking, Captain Calamai did everything possible to save his passengers and crew.

In Andrea Doria wreck, a captain who shone

After satisfying himself that all passengers and crew had been properly evacuated, Calamai had determined to go down with his ship and atone for his mistakes, but his officers talked him out of following the Andrea Doria to her grave. Nevertheless, he made certain he was the last person off the ship.

Calamai was destined never to command another vessel and died a broken man in 1972. While his navigation of the Andrea Doria before the collision was judged after the fact to be woefully deficient and unseamanlike in many respects, his handling of the abandon-ship operations was nothing short of exemplary.

Calamai remains a tragic but eminently respectable figure in maritime history. He understood his supreme responsibility to the passengers and crew of his vessel and faithfully performed his duty to ensure their safety after the collision, which in his heart he knew was largely his fault. A lesser man might have folded under the pressure or ignored his obligations and let instincts of self-preservation disgracefully overwhelm him.

Thanks to Anne Maclachlan for pointing out the article.

Complete Civil War submarine unveiled for first time

Wreckage of the USS Narcissus

When I was in high school in Flordia, before I learned the error of my ways and become a sailor, I ran all over Boca Ciega Bay and the around the mouth of Tampa Bay in an outboard motor powered skiff.  One place I was particularly fond of was Egmont Key, just off the shipping channel into Tampa Bay. At one end of the island was the lighthouse and the pilot’s station where the harbor pilots waited for ships entering from the Gulf of Mexico.  Along the Gulf-side beach were old gun emplacements from the Spanish-American war as well as lumbering gopher tortoises and waters full of pods of dolphins, black fin sharks and schools of rays.

Just off Egmont Key is also the wreck of the Civil War wooden steam tug, USS Narcissus, which has emerged from the Gulf sands that swallowed her after she sank in 1866.  The wreck is about 2 miles off the northern end of the island in only 15 feet of water.  State officials have proposed making the shipwreck site Florida’s 12th underwater archaeological preserve.

USS Narcissus, Civil War shipwreck off Egmont Key, could become Florida’s 12th underwater preserve

The Narcissus, which saw action at the Battle of Mobile Bay, was nominated for the preserve designation last year by the Florida Aquarium and South Eastern Archaeological Services. The wreckage has been mapped and photographed as part of the Tampa Bay Historical Shipwreck Survey.

Major features of the vessel are exposed, including the steam engine, drive shaft, propeller and a portion of the wooden hull. The wreck site has become a refuge for marine life, including hard and soft coral, cobia and goliath grouper.

The Narcissus, a wooden-hulled steam tugboat, was built in 1863 in East Albany, N.Y. The Navy bought the ship, then called the Mary Cook, and commissioned it as USS Narcissus in 1864.

The ship was present during the Battle of Mobile Bay, when Union Adm. David G. Farragut uttered the famous words, “Damn the torpedos! Full speed ahead!” After the war, the Narcissus had outlived its purpose helping blockade Southern ports. On Jan. 1, 1866, the tugboat left Pensacola, bound for New York to be decommissioned and sold.

Three days later, the vessel ran into a storm off the Pinellas coast. Traveling at full speed, it hit a sandbar about 2 miles north of Egmont Key. The boiler exploded. The ship sank.

The wreckage had been mostly forgotten until the late 1990s when divers notified the state about it, said Terrell. But little investigation of the site occurred until about four years ago when the Florida Aquarium began getting state grants totaling $200,000 to do underwater exploration in the Tampa Bay area.

The Lenox Project 

The Lenox was the first of King Charles II’s great Thirty Ship building programme of 1677. Her construction and that of her sister ships was the responsibility of Samuel Pepys, famous diarist and Secretary of the Admiralty, and is extensively recorded in official records and artworks of the period. Thanks to painstaking research by marine historian and author, Richard Endsor – whose book The Restoration Warship covers the history of the Lenox in minute detail – it is possible to construct an exact replica.

To learn more click here.   Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the word along.