Coins the key to solving the mystery of the lost wreck

Wreck hunters will embark on another expedition to the Abrolhos Islands region near Australia to try and solve the 300-year-old mystery surrounding the Dutch ship Aagtekerke, which sank near the west coast of Kangaroo Land.

-- Advertisement --

Hugh Edwards and his companions believe the wreck of the Aagtekerke hit a nearby reef and sank during his voyage to Indonesia in 1726. During their expedition, the team hope to find some of the silver coins that made up 3 tonnes of the Dutchman’s cargo during his voyage between the Cape of Good Hope and Jakarta.

Finding even a few coins would have confirmed the searchers’ assumptions as to the place of its sinking. Faced with further clues found by Edward and his group, archaeologists from the Maritime Museum in Australia decided to join the action.

Edwards was one of those who in 1968 managed to find the wreck of another ship, the Zeewijk, which sank in the same area in 1927. However, the discovery of elephant tusks in its vicinity, which were not on the list of goods carried by the Zeewijk, led to the hypothesis that the wreck lay in the immediate vicinity of the Aagtekerke.

“We had been combing the archipelago for years looking for the second wreck, but had never come across it. Hence it occurred to us that the two wrecks must be in close proximity to each other,” said Hugh Edwards.

Other indications in favour of such a theory are the number of equipment found. Instead of the usual 36 cannons and 6 anchors, which were the standard for similar vessels at the time, 44 cannons and 9 anchors were found.

“Aagtekerke carried a cargo of 214 elephant tusks, taken at the Cape of Good Hope, while Zeejwik, had no similar goods in her holds. Getting to the truth is certainly not made easier by the fact that both vessels were made at the same time, in the same shipyard and by the same people. They are identical and we will have to look for more convincing evidence to get to the truth,” added Edwards

If silver coins are found at the wreck resting place, it will confirm the theory of 2 wrecks, as the coins listed in the Zeejwik inventory were excavated and handed over to the owner, The Dutch East India Company.

The searchers have already organised 4 search expeditions in the last 3 years, but there is still no hard evidence. The specifics of the dives there do not make things any easier. Dives take place against strong waves and currents.

Source: au.news.yahoo.com
Photo: Bill Hatto/The West Australian