German treasure hunters strike gold with English shipwreck
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 by the treasure hunters from the Forbes, a ship that ran aground between Borneo and Sumatra in 1806.
The team believes the value of the find to be at least 7 million euros (£6m).
"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," he said.
The Forbes was a prolific trading and buccaneering ship that had King George III's approval to attack and plunder foreign vessels.
It had raided at least one Chinese ship, as there was Ming dynasty porcelain on board, Mr Wenzel said.
The Forbes had carried opium and iron from Calcutta to the far east and was, according to the Asiatic Annual Register, on its way home with a "considerable amount" of loot and cargo.
But shortly after it raided a Dutch brig, both ships were driven onto a rock reef at five knots, the register writes.
The crew survived and piled into three lifeboats. Then, after "undergoing the greatest distresses from want of water and provisions under a scorching sun without an awning or anything to cover them" they were picked up by another English ship.
The Forbes' captain, a Scotsman named Frazer Sinclair, went on to skipper other English ships and was decorated by George III for his bold raids on foreign vessels.
National Archives records suggest Captain Sinclair died in 1816 and describe him as "Mariner of Calcutta".
Half the value of the treasure must be given to the Indonesian government under the salvage licence agreement but the German team plan to sell its share at auction, and use the money to finance future operations, Mr Wenzel said.
The adventurers are already eyeing another wreck that they believe may hold two tonnes of gold.
"This is an exciting hobby but an expensive one," Mr Wenzel said. "This is the biggest thing we've found." The Forbes salvage operation cost about 400,000 euros.
The wreck of the Forbes lay off Belitung Island, between Malaysian Borneo and Indonesian Sumatra, near the Strait of Malacca. The strait remains an important shipping route and has historically been a lucrative passage for pirates.
Mr Wenzel and his partner Klaus Keppler have spent up to 3 million euros searching Indonesian waters for wrecks. They have also found a 10th century wreck with ancient Chinese coins.
He said they scoured archives and libraries for documentary clues and also spoke to local fisherman to help pinpoint wrecks worth exploring.
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