A 450-year-old shipwreck is discovered off Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic

Published: 13-Sep-13 17:52:15
Source: News Wire
Author: Anna
Related: 10-Apr-10 23:11:09

A 450-year-old ship has been discovered off the coast of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, a popular destination for scuba diving holidays. A Florida-based treasure hunting company found the wreck and have recovered unique 16th-century artefacts such as extremely rare Spanish silver coins from the late 1400's and 16th century pewter tableware.

A treasure hunting company from Florida has discovered a 450-year-old shipwreck off the coast of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean.

The crews from Anchor Research and Salvage were under contract from the Underwater Cultural Heritage division of the Dominican Minister of Culture's office to explore the waters off the coast of Punta Cana, one of the country's popular destinations for scuba diving holidays.

The firm has excavated the wreck site and recovered rare and unique artefacts including a large collection of 16th-century pewter tableware and extremely rare Spanish silver coins that date back from the late 1400's through to the mid 1500's.

Scuba diving experts from Anchor Research and Salvage (a Global Marine Exploration, Inc. company) are in the process of recovering the artefacts of which 75 per cent will be displayed in museums in the Dominican Republic.

The new discovery could rewrite history books because many of the maker's marks stamped into the pewter have never been seen before. The huge tableware collection includes plates, platters, porringers, salts and flagons, and the pewter collection alone is said to be worth millions.

"Sample artefacts from these newly discovered wreck sites indicate that we may have found an entire fleet of early Galleons that wrecked on their way back to Spain carrying the riches of the new world," explained Robert Pritchett, the CEO of Anchor Research and Salvage.

The firm has also finished surveying a large lease area on the south-western coast of the Dominican Republic where they have found several undiscovered shipwrecks that are currently in the process of being investigation and recovered.

The Dominican Republic is a popular destination for scuba diving holidays because of its warm waters and generally good visibility all year round. Due to its seafaring history, there are plenty or sunken shipwrecks to explore and there are diving sites off every coast of the Caribbean country.

While scuba diving in the Dominican Republic, divers can explore the 30-metre-deep Luperon Wall which is flourishing with hard and soft corals and attracts manta rays, turtles and eagle rays; the 34-metre-long Zingara cargo ship wreck which lies intact and sits upright on the seabed; and Punta Cana which boasts shallow waters and the famous La Cueva dive site where divers can explore caverns and swim-throughs and catch glimpses of nurse sharks and stingrays.

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