Portugal's sunken treasures: 250 shipwrecks await discovery
Portugal has around 250 valuable shipwrecks off its coast. According to researchers from the New University of Lisbon, there are many more wrecks, but these 250 are believed to contain treasures. Because they are several hundred years old, these findings hold financial and historical value.
Such a discovery is quite literally a treasure! Scientists from the New University of Lisbon, led by Alexandre Monteiro from the Institute of History, Territories, and Communities, conducted extensive research to determine the locations of all the wrecks that sank off the coast of Portugal. They encountered some challenges along the way.
Thousands of wrecks off the coast of Portugal
The Portuguese agency Lusa reports that lead researcher Alexandre Monteiro created a database that includes the locations of 8,620 shipwrecks that sank off the coasts of the Azores, Madeira, and mainland Portugal. There are around 7,500 near Portugal, 1,000 around the Azores, and about 120 off the coast of Madeira. Out of this number, some 250 wrecks are ships transporting various valuables, which may still be resting on the ocean floor.
This entire database includes ships that sank after 1500, as that's when documentation of such incidents began.
One of the wrecks particularly caught the researchers' attention.
Monteiro shared with the Lusa agency that he is aware of a Spanish ship from 1589, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, located off the coast of Troy. Having studied its history in detail, he even knows the name of the captain's mother. According to official records, the vessel transported 24 tons of gold and silver.
Wrecks can also be spotted while diving. However, despite the promising data, further research may not be easy due to the Portuguese government's inaction regarding the sunken wrecks.
Wrecks in the oceans - treasures without protection
The Portuguese government is not protecting the discovered wrecks in any way. Although there is no immediate concern about looting, as most wrecks are covered with sand, according to scientists, various sports activities that threaten valuable historical finds could soon emerge.
