Shipwreck

This book brings to attention the diary of Diego Rivadeneira, a 17th-century Spanish priest who witnessed at first-hand the sinking of two galleons. In 1996 and 1997, sport diver and adventurer Dave Horner discovered and salvaged the sunken treasure.

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In 1654, Padre Diego Rivadeneira sets out for Spain from Peru in a small armada led by the immense galleon La Capitana, "Queen of the South Sea," carrying 10 million pesos in silver coin and bullion. Late one night, off the coast of Ecuador, the Capitana hits a reef and begins to sink. Three hundred years later, Dave Horner discovered Padre Rivadeneira's diary in the Archivo General de Indias, in Seville. In 1996 and 1997, Horner and his colleagues discovered and salvaged the much sought-after treasure of the Capitana. Among the artifacts recovered were gold, silver bars and coins, bronze cannon balls, pottery and various items of worked silver.