
Lost 300-year-old ship carrying £101M worth of treasure sunk in pirate raid is FOUND off the coast of Madagascar
The ship - believed to be the Nossa Senhora do Cabo - was sunk by pirates off Madagascar in 1721 during one of the most infamous raids in history.
Advertisement
7
The sunken Nossa Senhora do Cabo's lower hull captured in a photomosaic
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
7
Researchers prepare for a dive off the coast of Madagascar, where the shipwreck was discovered
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
7
Among the 3,300 artefacts recovered from the wreck are pottery fragments
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
The Portuguese vessel was transporting cargo from Goa, India, to Lisbon, Portugal, when it was raided.
The treasure ship is believed to have been attacked on April 8, 1721, by pirates led by Captain Olivier "The Buzzard" Levasseur, during what historians call the Golden Age of Piracy.
The raid became one of the most notorious of the era due to its staggering plunder - thought to be one of the richest pirate hauls in history.
An estimated 200 enslaved people were also onboard at the time, and their fate remains unknown.
Advertisement
Read more world news
The Nossa Senhora do Cabo was a heavily armed, state-owned carrack, making its capture all the more humiliating for the Portuguese Empire.
After 16 years of investigation, researchers at the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation found the wreck in Ambodifotatra Bay, near the island of Nosy Boraha, off Madagascar's northeast coast.
More than 3,300 artefacts were pulled from the site, including religious figurines, gold ingots, pearls and treasure-filled chests.
One ivory plaque is inscribed with gold letters
reading
'INRI', the Latin abbreviation for "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" - meaning 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews', as recorded in the Roman gospels.
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini, researchers from Brown University behind the discovery, described the haul as "an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards".
They estimate the cargo alone could be worth more than £108 million in today's currency.
7
Divers uncover shipwreck of Glasgow vessel almost 140 years after it vanished without trace
During the period that the Nossa Senhora do Cabo sailed,
Portugal
controlled key trade routes between
India
and Europe, transporting valuable goods from its colonies back to the Portuguese mainland.
Advertisement
Besides carrying spices and precious stones, the ship also transported enslaved people, who were forced to work in ports and mines throughout the empire.
Because of their material and human cargo, ships bound for Europe were prime targets for pirates, who could sell both goods and enslaved people for huge profit.
7
Ivory inscribed with the letters 'INRI' (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum)
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
7
A Madonna statue recovered from the 1721 shipwreck
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
Advertisement
The discovery comes as researchers say they found a
The San Jose, which was sunk by the British in 1708, was long thought to be lost beneath the Caribbean waters.
But academics in Colombia believe that a wreck found near Baru Island in 2015 is in fact the long-lost galleon.
An
Advertisement
Among the items recovered were silver coins minted in Lima in 1707, Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period and cannon inscriptions
dating
back to 1665.
7
Site plan of the Nossa Senhora Do Cabo shipwreck excavation
Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Let's inconvenience some oligarchs before we come for exhausted mothers
It's just not sustainable , my friend and I say together. We're talking about her work /life imbalance, the juggling of domestic and professional responsibilities that has her absurdly multitasking, barely pulling it off, always failing someone or something, always guilty. (In case you were wondering, no, the answer is not that she should stay at home in a frilly apron baking cupcakes instead of practising medicine. The answer is that adequate childcare should be available and affordable.) Something sustainable is literally something that can be held up, from the Latin 'tenere' as in 'tenacious'. If a course of action is depleting resources faster than they are generated, causing a net loss, it's unsustainable because sooner or later there will be nothing left. Harvesting peat is the obvious local example but others would include losing weight, overwork and lack of rest. We're used to sustainability as a buzzword around care for the environment, and often such terms feel reproachful, as if we're being told off for using too much, taking more than our share. We should buy less, throw away less, drive less, fly less. It feels as if what's sustainable for the planet is unsustainable for individuals trying to survive capitalism, as if living sustainably is another demand to do more with less. It doesn't have to be that way. [ Sarah Moss: 'I'm a classic first child. A driven overachiever. Slightly neurotic' Opens in new window ] I've always thought it's deeply unfair to position new parents like my friend at the sharp end of green scolding. Especially when space and money are tight, disposable nappies are a godsend to a household and also horrible for the environment. You can transport babies on bicycles – people do it all the time in places with safe cycling infrastructure – and you can get pushchairs on buses and trains, but in Dublin it's not easy, pleasant or reliable. Maybe let's inconvenience some oligarchs before we come for the exhausted mothers, and while we're at it provide a subsidised laundering service for cloth nappies. READ MORE Human energies also need care, which is not in opposition to but part of care for human environments. Much of our excessive consumption comes from various kinds of scarcity: time, affordable fresh food, active transport infrastructure and reliable public transport. Some people are obviously making active choices to prioritise their own egos and individual power over everyone else's health and safety (SUV drivers, I mean you), but most of us are muddling through in environments engineered to create scarcity and to direct us to solve this engineered scarcity by unsustainable consumption. For most of us, the necessary changes must be collective and corporate. Only the well-resourced can consistently resist powerful systems as individuals. I can cycle everywhere because I live within 10km of most of the places I need or want to go, because I have a high degree of control over my own time and the immeasurable blessing of physical health. In this situation, the choice to cycle enhances and does not deplete my life. It is (most days) more of a joy than a sacrifice. It would make no sense to try to insist that people in more difficult circumstances make the same choices; better to change the circumstances. My household's diet is based on organic and mostly Irish fruit and vegetables, delivered weekly. If everyone could eat as we do, more people would be in better health, Irish organic farming would be more sustainable and there would be shorter supply chains and less food waste. But this is possible for us because we can afford the additional cost, I have the time and knowledge to cook and none of us has allergies or intolerances. It's stupid to say that everyone should do what we do unless we also say that everyone should have what we have, which is the truly sustainable position. [ I enjoy Ireland's weather, take pleasure in rain and whinge on hot days Opens in new window ] And so my point is that social justice and climate justice are not in opposition. Some of the reasons for our unsustainable habits are moral failure (SUV drivers, I still mean you), but most are systemic failure, or rather the success of a system engineered to maximise profit and economic growth at the expense of humanity as well as the rest of the natural world. Sustainable behaviour involves rest, companionship and pleasure as well as separating your recycling (but protest the wanton stupidity of most food packaging) and taking the bus (protest the fact that it's late and crowded).


The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Tragic ‘dear mom' note sent by Camp Mystic victim, 8, revealed following Texas floods – after family's double tragedy
A MOM who lost her daughter in the floods that swept through Texas' Camp Mystic has shared details of a letter she wrote before her death. 6 Blakely McCrory with her mom Lindsey Credit: Facebook 6 Blakely was one of 27 children and camp counselors killed in the recent Texas floods Credit: Facebook Blakely McCrory, eight, was among 27 campers and staffers that perished in the Texas floods. She died days after arriving at Camp Mystic, and months after she lost her dad. Devastated mom, Lindsey McCrory, shared details of the note Blakely had written to her family, per Blakely had filled in the blanks to sentences on a piece of paper. read more on news The letter started with the phrase: "Dear mom." In the note, Blakely revealed she was feeling 'good' and described Camp Mystic as amazing. She told her mom that she would be playing tennis as well as horseback riding. She revealed that she was in the 'tonk' group. Most read in The US Sun Blakely rated the sleep and food at the camp as the best. Children were given the option to score food and how they slept from best to worst. Lindsey revealed that she took comfort in receiving the letter as it conveyed her daughter was enjoying herself at Camp Mystic. College football coach's 8-year-old daughter confirmed dead in horrifying Texas floods – 'asking for all prayers' She described Blakely as 'very resilient.' 'She was a live wire, just had a fun, spirited attitude, the type of child that doesn't stay down for long,' Lindsey told Lindsey told the In the second note, Blakely begged her mom not to sell her Barbie house. 6 Search teams remove debris from the Guadalupe River Credit: AP 6 Mattresses and clothes are laid on the grass outside a Camp Mystic building Credit: AFP Lindsey recalled how her daughter appeared to change in her mind. That's because Blakely had initially allowed her mom to sell the dolls house. Blakely departed for Camp Mystic on June 29, but her family was rocked by tragedy months previously. Lindsey's husband and Blakely's dad, Blake, died in March after a battle with stage two cancer. And, Lindsey's brother also died. Camp Mystic had been a constant on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas for almost 100 years. And, 750 children were at the Christian campsite when the floods hit over the Independence Day weekend. The Guadalupe River rose around 26 feet in 45 minutes as it burst its banks. Around a foot of rain hit Kerr County in central Texas when caused the river to overflow. Janie Hunt, nine, was also killed in the floods. It was her first year at Camp Mystic. Her family identified her via a necklace that had been given to her by her grandma, Margaret. Stacy Stevens' daughter Mary, eight, was identified as one of the victims, as per the FAMILIES GRIEF Tragic details emerged after it was reported that sisters The sisters were holding hands when their bodies were found. And, Ellen Getten, nine, had recently celebrated her birthday at Walt Disney World in Florida before heading to Camp Mystic. She was staying in the camp's Bubble Inn and her family said some of her happiest memories were the dancing parties put on by counselors, per an 'Ellen woke up happy, went to sleep happy, and made everyone around her happy,' her family said. 'Though her nine years on earth was brief, she will always be remembered for her love of others and her sweet smile. 'Ellen would want everyone to give more hugs.' He and his wife Tweety had been associated with the camp for more than 50 years. He received an order to evacuate campers at 1:14am but only started moving the girls to higher ground 45 minutes later, as reported by 'They had no information that indicated the magnitude of what was coming,' Jeff Carr, the Eastland's family spokesperson, said. Eastland's body was found in his Tahoe car that had been swept away. Officials confirmed that at least 134 people died from the flooding, with 100 still missing. But, another summer camp, Camp CAMP, which is located 30 miles downriver has since reopened. 6 A Camp Mystic mailbox that was swept away Credit: AP 6 Chairs stand abandoned among the rubble Credit: Reuters


The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Lost 300-year-old ship carrying £101M worth of treasure sunk in pirate raid is FOUND off the coast of Madagascar
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered a 300-year-old shipwreck laden with treasure worth over £101 million. The ship - believed to be the Nossa Senhora do Cabo - was sunk by pirates off Madagascar in 1721 during one of the most infamous raids in history. Advertisement 7 The sunken Nossa Senhora do Cabo's lower hull captured in a photomosaic Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation 7 Researchers prepare for a dive off the coast of Madagascar, where the shipwreck was discovered Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation 7 Among the 3,300 artefacts recovered from the wreck are pottery fragments Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation The Portuguese vessel was transporting cargo from Goa, India, to Lisbon, Portugal, when it was raided. The treasure ship is believed to have been attacked on April 8, 1721, by pirates led by Captain Olivier "The Buzzard" Levasseur, during what historians call the Golden Age of Piracy. The raid became one of the most notorious of the era due to its staggering plunder - thought to be one of the richest pirate hauls in history. An estimated 200 enslaved people were also onboard at the time, and their fate remains unknown. Advertisement Read more world news The Nossa Senhora do Cabo was a heavily armed, state-owned carrack, making its capture all the more humiliating for the Portuguese Empire. After 16 years of investigation, researchers at the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation found the wreck in Ambodifotatra Bay, near the island of Nosy Boraha, off Madagascar's northeast coast. More than 3,300 artefacts were pulled from the site, including religious figurines, gold ingots, pearls and treasure-filled chests. One ivory plaque is inscribed with gold letters reading 'INRI', the Latin abbreviation for "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" - meaning 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews', as recorded in the Roman gospels. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini, researchers from Brown University behind the discovery, described the haul as "an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards". They estimate the cargo alone could be worth more than £108 million in today's currency. 7 Divers uncover shipwreck of Glasgow vessel almost 140 years after it vanished without trace During the period that the Nossa Senhora do Cabo sailed, Portugal controlled key trade routes between India and Europe, transporting valuable goods from its colonies back to the Portuguese mainland. Advertisement Besides carrying spices and precious stones, the ship also transported enslaved people, who were forced to work in ports and mines throughout the empire. Because of their material and human cargo, ships bound for Europe were prime targets for pirates, who could sell both goods and enslaved people for huge profit. 7 Ivory inscribed with the letters 'INRI' (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum) Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation 7 A Madonna statue recovered from the 1721 shipwreck Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation Advertisement The discovery comes as researchers say they found a The San Jose, which was sunk by the British in 1708, was long thought to be lost beneath the Caribbean waters. But academics in Colombia believe that a wreck found near Baru Island in 2015 is in fact the long-lost galleon. An Advertisement Among the items recovered were silver coins minted in Lima in 1707, Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period and cannon inscriptions dating back to 1665. 7 Site plan of the Nossa Senhora Do Cabo shipwreck excavation Credit: Jam Press/Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation