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News.com.au
11 hours ago
- News.com.au
Pirate shipwreck may hold key to fate of $210 million in treasure
A pirate shipwreck discovered off the coast of Madagascar may hold the key to the fate of $A210 million in treasure. Researchers from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation have published a new study into the identity and contents of a wreck in a small bay on the remote island of Nosy Boraha (Ile Sante-Marie). This was once a hide-out of the famous 18th-century pirates Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) and John Taylor. They now believe the remains of a ship discovered there in the 1990s is that of the Portuguese treasure galleon Nossa Senhora do Cabo, which was seized while carrying a cargo home from India in 1721. Lead researcher Brandon Clifford says it was one of the richest pirate plunders in history. Aboard the galleon was a royal fortune in gold and pearls, and a hoard of holy artefacts. And among its passengers were a Portuguese royal viceroy, the Archbishop of Goa and 200 slaves. The viceroy was only released after a steep ransom was paid by the Portuguese government. The fate of the Archbishop and slaves is lost to history. As is that of much of the treasure. But the ship itself was repaired, rearmed and rebuilt into Levasseur's flagship. Levasseur, nicknamed La Buse (The Buzzard), soon after retired to Nosy Boraha (Ile Sante-Marie). He gave up piracy. But he refused to surrender his treasure. Eventually, in 1729, he was recognised and arrested. Legend says the famous French pirate told his gaoler: 'With what I've hidden not far from here, I could buy the entire island'. 'Find my treasure he who can!' he shouted as he threw an encrypted document into the crowd while being led to the gallows. Attempts to decipher what is alleged to be this cryptogram have thus far been unsuccessful. Under the weather The Cabo was initially built as a 72-gun Dutch man-of-war. Later, it was repurposed as a heavily armed Portuguese treasure galleon. But, in April 1721, the ship's luck ran out. It encountered a severe storm as it headed for the Cape of Good Hope, marking the transition of the Indian Ocean to the South Atlantic. It had departed the port of Goa on India's southwest en route to Lisbon, Portugal, only weeks earlier. But accounts from the time suggest heavy weather had toppled its masts. And its crew had tossed many of its heavy cannons overboard in an effort to keep the ship afloat. Their efforts were successful. The Cabo found refuge at Reunion Island. There, many of the crew went ashore to cut wood for repairs. But, on the morning of April 20, two sets of sails appeared on the horizon. They belonged to pirates Levasseur and Taylor. The galleon was in no state for an effective fight. The Cabo was seized after a brief exchange of shots. It was then taken in tow. The ship, its crew and passengers were taken to Îlot Madame, near the Nosy Boraha (Île Sainte-Marie) settlement off Madagascar's east coast. There, the loot could be safely divided and stored. 'Gold and silver bars, coins, silks, religious artefacts, and an extraordinary array of precious stones (110 diamonds, 250 emeralds, 20 rubies, 20 sapphires) are recorded as having been taken from the ship's cargo,' the study, titled From Goa to Sainte-Marie: An Archaeological Case for the Identification of the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, reads. 'The pirates divided the treasure among themselves, with Levasseur reportedly taking the famed Flaming Cross of Goa, a massive gold artefact encrusted with precious stones that took three men to carry,' the study states. But untangling myth from legend, and legend from history, will be necessary before any such trove is discovered. The fate of the Cabo is part of that story. She was to be Levasseur's final flagship. After being repaired, modified, and rearmed, Levasseur renamed the galleon Victorieux (meaning 'Victorious'). And her final resting place has been a matter of debate for centuries. X marks the spot? 'Our interpretation of the site as the Cabo … overturns contradictory narratives about the fate of the vessel,' the researchers write. 'For example, one account reports how the ship was wrecked at Cape Amber. Rather, our investigations align with competing recollections that (indicate) the vessel was eventually abandoned, and likely partially burned, at Sainte-Marie.' The Historic Shipwreck group has been exploring wrecks that sat under the guns of a small fort the pirates had built to protect their provisions, spares, and loot. Geophysical scans, side-scan sonar imaging and seabed investigations have so far identified several closely clustered wrecks in the shallows. Île Sainte-Marie was a stronghold of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650 to 1725). Among its most notable occupants were Henry Avery, William Kidd, and Olivier Levasseur. Up to 10 wrecks are believed to be in the surrounding waters. One wreck, measuring 30m by 10m (the same as an 18th Century Portuguese galleon), has been found to contain Chinese porcelain, ivory and timber carvings, 13 gold coins, cowrie shells and nutmeg. What makes this wreck significant, the researchers add, is the number of religious objects found there. These include a Madonna statue, an ivory statuette of Jesus, and a piece of ivory marked INRI (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews), a traditional top piece to large crucifixes. Is this from the fabled 'Flaming Cross of Goa'? 'Primary records cast doubt on the existence of such an artefact, but documentary evidence does suggest the Viceroy of Goa aboard the vessel did possess a golden cross, most likely hanging on a necklace,' the study argues. But its presence is, however, significant. 'These devotional artefacts, often carried by high-ranking clergy or nobility, strongly align with the undisputed historical accounts that the Nossa Senhora do Cabo was transporting the former Viceroy of Goa and the Archbishop at the time of capture,' the study states. 'The presence of artefacts bearing Catholic iconography, unique among known pirate vessels in the region, suggests that this was not a typical pirate ship but rather a vessel captured by pirates. This distinction is crucial, as it situates the wreck not merely as a pirate-operated craft, but as a seized prize, temporarily operated or scuttled by figures such as Olivier Levasseur and John Taylor.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Say They've Found a Legendary Pirate Ship, Rewriting History
Archaeologists say they have discovered a legendary pirate shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar. The findings were announced in a research article by Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini of the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts. "This study presents archaeological evidence supporting the identification of a unique 18th-century shipwreck at Îlot Madame, off the coast of Sainte-Marie Island, Madagascar, as the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a Portuguese treasure ship captured by pirates Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) and John Taylor in 1721," they wrote. Levasseur was "a French buccaneer colloquially known as La Buse or 'The Buzzard' for his swift and predatory tactics, remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the captivating history of piracy," Discovery Channel UK notes. According to the Golden Age of Piracy, the capture of the Nostra Senora della Cabo was a famed heist that saw the two pirates "capture a massive Portuguese treasure ship sailing out of the city of Goa. The massive 700-ton ship was carrying the Bishop of Goa, also known as the Patriarch of the East Indies along with the retiring Viceroy of Portugal. They were both returning to Lisbon with all of their wealth and artifacts when the ship was damaged in a storm." What's the evidence? "Artifacts recovered from the site include exported Chinese porcelain, religious artifacts of Goan origin, coinage, cowrie shells, and construction materials consistent with Portuguese East Indian design," the researchers wrote. "The archaeological assemblage recovered from the site corresponds with historical descriptions of the Cabo's cargo, route, and subsequent refit and final renaming by La Buse as the Victorieux." Their findings are rewriting history. "Our interpretation of the site as the Cabo, supported by archaeological evidence and historical accounts, overturns contradictory narratives about the fate of the vessel. For example, one account reports how the ship was wrecked at Cape Amber," they wrote. "Rather, our investigations align with competing recollections that instead the vessel was eventually abandoned, and likely partially burned, at Sainte-Marie. Broadly, this archaeological case study presents novel insights into piracy, global trade, and colonial power in the western Indian Ocean," they added. The area was a haven for pirates. le Sainte-Marie, located off the northeast coast of Madagascar, "occupies a central place in the maritime history of the western Indian Ocean. Its natural harbor, relatively protected from monsoon systems and regional currents, made it a strategic node for both legitimate trade and illicit maritime activity during the 17th and 18th centuries," they wrote. "Although the island had been known to Arab mariners since at least the 12th century, it was not until the so-called Golden Age of Piracy (1650–1725 CE) that Sainte-Marie emerged as a significant base of operations for European pirates, including figures such as Henry Avery, William Kidd, Christopher Condent, and Olivier Levasseur." Archaeologists Say They've Found a Legendary Pirate Ship, Rewriting History first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 11, 2025
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Lost 300-year-old ship carrying £101M worth of treasure sunk in pirate raid is FOUND off the coast of Madagascar
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered a 300-year-old shipwreck laden with treasure worth up to £101 million. The ship - believed to be the Nossa Senhora do Cabo - was sunk by pirates off Madagascar in 1721 during one of the most infamous raids in history. 7 7 The Portuguese vessel was transporting cargo from Goa, India, to Lisbon, Portugal, when it was raided. The treasure ship is believed to have been attacked on April 8, 1721, by pirates led by Captain Olivier "The Buzzard" Levasseur, during what historians call the Golden Age of Piracy. The raid became one of the most notorious of the era due to its staggering plunder - thought to be one of the richest pirate hauls in history. An estimated 200 enslaved people were also onboard at the time, though their fate remains unknown. The ship was a heavily armed, state-owned carrack, making its capture all the more humiliating for the Portuguese Empire. After 16 years of investigation, researchers at the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation found the wreck in Ambodifotatra Bay, near the island of Nosy Boraha, off Madagascar's northeast coast. More than 3,300 artefacts were pulled from the site, including religious figurines, gold ingots, pearls and treasure-filled chests. One ivory plaque is inscribed with gold letters reading 'INRI', the Latin abbreviation for "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" - meaning 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews', as recorded in the Roman gospels. Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini, marine archaeologists from Brown University behind the find, described the haul as "an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards". They estimate the cargo alone could be worth more than £108 million in today's money. 7 During the period that the Nossa Senhora do Cabo sailed, Portugal controlled key trade routes between India and Europe, transporting valuable goods from its colonies back to the Portuguese mainland. Besides carrying spices and precious stones, the ship also transported enslaved people, who were forced to work on plantations, in ports and in mines throughout the empire. Because of their valuable cargo and human freight, ships bound for Europe were prime targets for pirates, who could sell both goods and enslaved people for huge profit. The discovery comes as researchers say they found a centuries-old Spanish galleon stacked with a £16bn treasure trove. The San Jose, which was sunk by the British in 1708, was long thought to be lost beneath the Caribbean waters. But academics in Colombia believe that a wreck found near Baru Island in 2015 is in fact the long-lost galleon. An underwater drone mission a decade ago captured images of the cargo scattered in and around the shipwreck. Among the items recovered were silver coins minted in Lima in 1707, Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period and cannon inscriptions dating back to 1665. 7
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Lost for 300 Years, Pirate-Plundered Treasure Ship Discovered off Madagascar Coast
In 1721, pirates attacked and seized a Portuguese ship carrying a massive trove of treasure en route to Lisbon. Now, researchers believe they've discovered its remains off the coast of Madagascar. The discovery comes from two researchers from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts, who have conducted several studies on the wreckage over the last 16 years. They say new clues have revealed the ship's identity as the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a 700-ton warship. Their findings were published in Wreckwatch Magazine, but have not been peer-reviewed. The wreck lies near the shores of Nosy Boraha, an island off Madagascar's northern coast historically known as Île Sainte-Marie, a notorious pirate stronghold during the 'Golden Age of Piracy.' The capture of Nossa Senhora do Cabo was 'among the most dramatic episodes' of this era, the authors wrote in the study. In the study, the researchers conducted underwater excavations using sonar imaging and remote sensing technology. They identified the ship based on its structure and artifacts recovered from the ship's remains, along with archaeological records. They discovered religious figurines and objects made of wood and ivory, including one depicting the Virgin Mary, part of a crucifix, and an ivory plaque bearing a religious inscription. According to the researchers, these items were likely produced in Goa—which, at the time, was colonized by Portugal—and were being transported to Lisbon. Archeological records indicate the Nossa Senhora do Cabo carried gold and silver bars, coins, silks, and an 'extraordinary' array of precious stones, including 110 diamonds, 250 emeralds, 20 rubies, and 20 sapphires, the authors wrote in the study. Study authors Brandon Clifford, co-founder and director of the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation, and Mark Agostini, an archaeologist at Brown University, described the entire haul as 'an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards,' estimating the cargo's value at over $138 million in today's money, Live Science reported. Records also show that the Nossa Senhora do Cabo departed Goa in 1721, bound for Lisbon with a Portuguese viceroy, the Archbishop of Goa, and more than 200 enslaved people from Mozambique aboard. The vessel was attacked and captured by pirate ships on April 8, 1721, near the French island of Réunion, and later taken to Île Sainte-Marie, where it was ultimately scuttled. Among the pirates that seized the ship was the infamous Olivier 'The Buzzard' Levasseur. The Portuguese ship had already been badly damaged in a storm and offered almost no resistance, the authors wrote. While the viceroy was eventually ransomed, the fate of the archbishop and the enslaved individuals remains unknown. Clifford told Live Science that many shipwrecks from this era were deliberately sunk or otherwise lost nearby, with estimates suggesting that between seven and ten wrecks lie around Île Sainte-Marie alone. Agostini added that the site has historically been overlooked by researchers, and so there's ample room for more discoveries that give us a glimpse into the past.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
300-year-old pirate-plundered shipwreck that once held 'eyewatering treasure' discovered off Madagascar
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists say they've found the submerged wreck of a sailing ship captured in 1721 near Madagascar, during one of history's most infamous pirate raids. The American researchers, from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation, have investigated the wreck for 16 years and now think it's the remains of Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a Portuguese ship carrying cargo from India that was attacked and seized by pirates, among them the notorious pirate captain Olivier "The Buzzard" Levasseur. The wreck now lies on the floor of a small harbor on the island of Nosy Boraha off the northeast coast of Madagascar, which was a hangout known as Île Sainte-Marie during the "Golden Age of Piracy" in the early 18th century. New details of the investigations have been published in the latest issue of Wreckwatch magazine. The identification of the wreck is "supported by multiple lines of evidence," the center's co-founder and director Brandon Clifford, one of the researchers, told Live Science in an email. These include analysis of the structure of the ship from its underwater remains, historical records and artifacts found in the wreckage. Among them are devotional figurines and objects made from wood and ivory, including one that depicts Jesus' mother Mary; part of a crucifix; and an ivory plaque inscribed with gold letters that read "INRI." (According to the Christian gospels, these letters were inscribed by the Romans above the crucified Jesus and stood for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" in Latin.) The researchers think these artifacts were made in Goa, which was then the center of a Portuguese colony on India's west coast, and were being shipped to Lisbon in Portugal. Related: 'Pirate' shipwrecks that sank in 1710 off Costa Rica are actually remains of Danish slave ships Image 1 of 3 A sonar image of the seafloor shows the wreck thought to be that of Nossa Senhora do Cabo. Researchers think there are at least four pirate wrecks in the main harbor on the island of Nosy Boraha, off Madagascar. Image 2 of 3 A mosaic image of the harbor floor shows overlapping piles of ballast stones from ships' hulls. The ballast pile from Nossa Senhora do Cabo is at the right. Image 3 of 3 The island of Nosy Boraha off Madagascar's northeast coast was once a notorious hangout for European pirates known as Île Sainte-Marie. According to records, Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Portuguese for "Our Lady of the Cape") had left Goa early in 1721 bound for Lisbon, with the outgoing Portuguese viceroy and the Archbishop of Goa both on board. But the vessel was attacked and captured by a group of pirate ships on April 8, 1721, near the French island of La Réunion (also known as Réunion Island) in the Indian Ocean. The treasure it carried included ingots of gold and chests full of pearls, according to the researcher Denis Piat in his book "Pirates & Privateers in Mauritius" (Didier Millet, 2014). Image 1 of 3 Artifacts recovered at the wreck site include gold coins inscribed with Arabic writing and pieces of fine porcelain. Image 2 of 3 The researchers have recovered several religious figurines and other devotional objects made from wood and ivory, presumably at Goa. Image 3 of 3 More than 3,300 artifacts have now been recovered from the wreck, but many others are still covered by sand and silt. Clifford and his colleague Mark Agostini, an archaeologist at Brown University, said the Portuguese ship had already been badly damaged in a storm and had jettisoned most of its cannons to stay afloat; and so it was captured with little resistance. The viceroy was eventually ransomed, but it's not known what became of the archbishop. About 200 enslaved people from Mozambique below decks, but there are no records of what happened to them. According to Clifford and Agostini, the entire haul was "an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards," and the cargo alone may have been worth more than $138 million in today's money. The pirates then steered their captured prize toward Madagascar, about 400 miles (650 kilometers) west of La Réunion, to divide up their loot. The researchers wrote that Île Sainte-Marie was chosen by European pirates because its sheltered anchorages were close to major shipping lanes. It was also known for its "absence of colonial governance," making it an ideal pirate base. RELATED STORIES —Coins worth over $1 million recovered from 1715 Spanish treasure shipwrecks in Florida —'It is a treasure': Wreck off Kenyan coast may be from Vasco da Gama's final voyage —Mayday! 22 mysterious shipwrecks you can see on Google Earth Clifford added that between seven and 10 shipwrecks were wrecked or scuttled near Île Sainte-Marie during the Golden Age of Piracy and "at least four pirate shipwrecks or their prizes lie in the harbor itself." Agostini, meanwhile, told Live Science in an email that more than 3,300 artifacts had now been recovered from the wreck of Nossa Senhora do Cabo, but that the overlying silt and sand had made further recoveries difficult. He added that archaeologists had previously overlooked Île Sainte-Marie and the scientific treasures it contained. "Ideally, future fieldwork will lead to more analysis of the many wrecks there," Agostini said. Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:32 p.m. ET to remove a detail about a gold- and ruby-encrusted cross being on the ship at the time of its capture. This cross was mentioned in a book about the shipwreck, but Live Science has since learned that it might be a myth.
