August 2009 Indonesia
Wreck found in Indonesia holding millions in treasure !
The wreck of a 19th- century English ship loaded with gold and silver worth millions of pounds has been found by German adventurers in seas off Indonesia.
More than 1.5 tonnes of silver coins, gold jewellery, crystal, Chinese porcelain, cannon, muskets and 400 bottles of wine were recovered.The ship had ran aground between Borneo and Sumatra in 1806.
The team believes the value of the find to be at least £6 million (Dh36.3 million).
"I found the first things during a survey and everything just looked encrusted but when I saw there was treasure like this I just couldn't believe my eyes," Wenzel said.
The Forbes was a prolific trading and buccaneering ship that had King George III's approval to attack and plunder foreign vessels.
The Forbes carried opium and iron from Calcutta [now Kolkata] to the Far East and was on its way home with a "considerable amount" of loot and cargo.
Frazer Sinclair, captain of the Forbes, went on to skipper other ships and was decorated by George III for his bold raids on foreign vessels.
Half the value of the treasure must be given to the Indonesian government under the salvage licence agreement, but the German team plans to sell its share at auction and use the money to finance future quests.
SSI wreck specialty anyone !
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