Archaeologists from the US-based Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation believe they have confirmed the wreck of the Portuguese galleon Nossa Senhora do Cabo, the victim of one of history’s richest pirate hauls.
The Nossa Senhora do Cabo was originally built as a Dutch man-of-war and then converted in Goa to an armed East Indiaman. Sadly, the ship was disabled near Réunion by a storm that snapped its masts and washed two-thirds of its 72 cannons overboard. That is when things took a turn for the worse, and almost defenseless, it fell prey to French pirate Olivier “The Buzzard” Levasseur and his English ally John Taylor.
The ship was on her way home to Lisbon from Goa and was laden with more than £100 million/~€114.6 million/US$132.7 million worth of gold and silver bullion, gemstones, Chinese porcelain fine textiles, and religious artwork. The galleon also carried 200 enslaved Mozambicans, 60 of whom perished in the storm and sinking. The ship was also carrying several high-ranking passengers, including the outgoing viceroy of Goa, who was ransomed, and the Archbishop of Goa, whose fate remains unknown.
The pirates towed their prize 600 km/373 miles south to Sainte-Marie Island, where Levasseur refitted and renamed her Victorieux. A subsequent quarrel with Taylor ended with Levasseur burning and scuttling the ship.
The archaeological divers stated in their study:
“This would represent a unique archaeologically confirmed pirate-captured treasure ship from the Golden Age of Piracy, and a rare case where religious cargo from the Portuguese empire that is physically documented in the Indian Ocean aided in such an identification.”
CHSP Co-founder and Director Brandon Clifford told Divernet:
“After spending years diving at these sites, the biggest challenge initially was the remoteness of the area. We had to ship in everything, from compressors and lead to cylinders and other gear. Interestingly, some of our old equipment that we left behind actually helped to establish a local dive center. Environmental factors can also be difficult. As in many harbors, visibility drops quickly after rain. The bottom is muddy, so it’s important to keep the water-column clear while working. There’s also a fair amount of freighter traffic travelling between mainland Madagascar and Sainte Marie. Modern ships still dock in the very same spot where pirates once careened their vessels.”
You can find out more information at shipwreckcenter.org.
