Unit11-Part3-Reading

sunken treasures.

Treasure hunting is not only searching for lost or buried jewels, gold, or silver.

Sometimes, historic relics that are very valuable

lie underwater in the remains of sunken ships,

especially in the Gulf of Mexico, the Western Caribbean,

and the waters off the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Azores.

For example, a number of Spanish ships sink near the Philippines

while carrying silver coins from Mexico to the Philippines

to purchase oriental goods.

Professional treasure hunters use instruments such as metal detectors

and depth recorders.

But even with these, sunken ships, especially those made of wood,

are difficult to find.

Wooden timbers often rot away, and the remains of the wreck

are usually covered by coral, sand, gravel, or mud.

Treasure wrecks are sometimes found accidentally by fishermen or divers.

Sometimes, a lucky treasure hunter may come across the remnants of a sunken ship, too.

In ancient and medieval times, divers also recovered valuables from wrecks.

Spanish crews used diving bells to rescue the riches of their sunken ships.

Diving bells were chambers in which a person could be carried down under water

because they had compressed air inside.

In 1687, a treasure worth about $1 million was recovered in this way.

The development of diving suits in the 19th century

and of scuba equipment in the 20th century helped to improve treasure hunting.

In fact, one of the richest finds of the century was made in 1985

off the Florida coast by a professional company.

After a 16 -year search, the company discovered the Spanish treasure ship

Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which had sunk in 1622.

They recovered more than 100 ,000 silver coins,

hundreds of gold and silver bars, and thousands of emeralds.