Latest news with #ÎleSainteMarie
Gizmodo
07-07-2025
- 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 Their findings were published in Wreckwatch Magazine, but have not been peer-reviewed.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.
