Gold Salvage, from famous ship wrecks

[mariner]

Salvaged treasures from the General Abbatucci

Pope Pius IX did not receive his jubilee presents in 1869. They were lost when the General Abbatucci, a French packet ship bound for Civitavecchia, sank of the northern coast of Corsica, a few days before his birthday. She and the valuable cargo, including the Pope's presents, were thought to have vanished forever.

THE TIMES OF LONDON, 13 MAY 1869 REPORTS

The Abbatucci Cargo

"Intelligence has been received of the loss of the steam packet General Abbatucci. A French Intendant General, the Pontifical Consul at Marseilles, 16 French soldiers and 15 Papal recruits, on their way to Civitavecchia, have perished... "

On the 7th May 1869 The General Abbatucci sank in tragic circumstances. She had left her home port of Marseilles the previous day on a routine monthly run to Civitavecchia, Italy, but on this trip, as well as the normal trade shipments, she was said to have been carrying a much more exciting cargo. It was thought to have consisted of several million French francs destined for the Vatican, gifts for the birthday of Pope Pius IX from Church officials in France, and possible pay for the French army in Italy.

Her passengers included many powerful dignitaries and wealthy merchantmen, some with their families, a group of Pontifical guards, and the Pontifical Consul representing the Holy See in Marseilles, who was returning to Rome.

Sadly this particular voyage was to be short-lived, during the early hours of the morning the 282-ton 12 year old ship was involved in a collision 24 miles off the north Corsican coast. The Edward Hewit, a 500-ton Norwegian barquentine, holed The General Abbatucci below her starboard anchor; she took on water at great speed and sank within two hours of being hit, with the loss of 54 lives. The newspapers were full of survivors' tales of the futile attempts made by panic-stricken noblemen to buy their safety by casting their valuables at the feet of the crew, but little could be done and for many, their fates were sealed. The Times reported "The Captain and 54 persons were saved, and have been brought to Leghorn almost naked, the accident having happened early in the morning, when most of them were in their berths. Several sailors and a much larger number of passengers were lost".

Shortly after she sank her captain and the survivors were picked up by the sailing vessel The Embla, which also escorted the damaged Edward Hewit to the Italian coast of Livorno. An inquiry held by the Italian maritime judges ruled that The General Abbatucci was negligent for failing to keep a proper lockout, and the captain of The Edward Hewit was penalised for leaving the scene of the incident without making any attempt to pick up survivors.

The rumour of the existence of Papal gifts was reinforced by the behaviour of the guards and the Consul who remained on the ship.

The General Abbatucci and her secrets lay untouched on the seabed until she was located in May 1996, nearly 127 years after her tragic end.

It took Pascal Kainic many years to find and complete the historical files and Blue Water Recoveries, the British salvage company, 32 days of searching before they finally found the wreck they were looking for, scanning over 1000 square miles plagued by bad weather and unpredictable currents - attested to by the numerous other wrecks discovered during the search.

On the 19th May 1996 the latest wreck discovered was inspected by a remote operated vehicle with colour and wide angle black and white cameras. It bore no resemblance to the artist's impression of what they thought they would find; 127 years on the seabed had taken its toll.

The metal hull had long since rusted away leaving the huge single engined boiler exposed in the centre of the wreck. The sides of the ship had fallen outwards, collapsing to reveal the skeletal remains of the hull.

Once the age had been ascertained by the careful examination of surrounding artefacts, a more detailed search was made in order to establish the wreck's identity.

The first pieces of porcelain examined proved to be disappointing as it was cargo destined for Italy and not the ship's china which would bear the company crest for Valery, Fr?res & Fils and provide a positive identification. Some time later during the survey, the wreck still not having been positively identified, a severe problem developed with the remote operated vehicle - its sonar equipment, essentially its "eyes" failed. The weather on the surface was forecast to blow for two days, which would mean a further excruciating delay before the vehicle could get back on the wreck. With the sort of luck that is only found at sea, and then only rarely, the ship's compass binnacle was sighted lying on the seabed, just a few feet in front of the vehicle's camera, having been torn from the deck as the ship plummeted to the seabed 127 years previously. The binnacle was grabbed with the ROV manipulator arm and slowly raised to the surface on to the deck of the search vessel. Details had been obtained of the original equipment supplied to the vessel and the name of the manufacturer of the compass was known.

Unfortunately, when the revolving compass card was rinsed, a different name was revealed, much to the dismay and bitter disappointment of the search team. Their spirits rose, however, when a short time later there came an excited cry from the team member cleaning the body of the compass - he had discovered the sought after name on its base. This was the proof they required and the full recovery operation began.

The next group of crockery examined was found to bear the company logo, the excitement mounted as much of the wreck's cargo was brought to the surface. The results were mixed. The expected main cargo of gold was not found but jewellery, watches and coins were recovered from a depth of over 8000 feet. Time ran out and it was decided to leave the remainder of the elusive cargo for another day.

When the jewellery was first brought into Christie's it was almost impossible to recognise and only professional cleaning has revealed its true glory. Nearly all of the jewellery has now been cleaned, and the transformation is unbelievable, but a few lots have been kept in recovered condition. It would appear to be part of a jeweller's stock due to the quantity of repeats of the same item, including guard chains, brooches, earrings, bangles, and rings, enabling some to be grouped together to provide matching suites.

Other items include coins and some artefacts such as pressed glass, porcelain and bottles, revealing a fascinating insight into the trading of the time.

The majority of the jewellery is extremely wearable, and its appeal enhanced by the exciting provenance, providing a unique opportunity to buy a "brand new" piece of antique gold jewellery from the 1860's.

[mariner]

A lustrous GOOD VERY FINE 1864 Queen Victoria British Gold Sovereign. This coin is the "Second Large Young Head" issue Shield Sovereign for this ruler (S.3853), with the die number "40". This coin was salvaged from the General Abbatucci shipwreck which sank off of Corsica in 1869.

[mariner]

David Mearns is one of the World's most experienced and successful deep-sea shipwreck hunters. Over his 19-year career he has led the research and discovery of nearly 50 shipwrecks and has an overall success rate of 82%. David's most notable finds include HMS Hood, flagship of the British Royal Navy sunk in 1941 by the German battleship Bismarck (whose wreck was also rediscovered and filmed by David); the Lucona, a cargo ship sunk by a time bomb as part of an Austrian insurance fraud scheme; and Derbyshire, a British bulk carrier lost without trace and with all hands in 1980.

Salvaged treasures from the General Abbatucci

They were lost when the General Abbatucci, a French steamship bound for Italy, sank of the northern coast of Corsica, a few days before his birthday. She and the valuable cargo, including the Pope's presents, were thought to have vanished forever.

The Abbatucci Cargo

THE TIMES, 13 MAY 1869

"Intelligence has been received of the loss of the steam packet General Abbatucci. A French Intendant General, the Pontifical Consul at Marseilles, 16 French soldiers and 15 Papal recruits, on their way to Civitavecchia, have perished... "

On the 7th May 1869 The General Abbatucci sank in tragic circumstances. She had left her home port of Marseilles the previous day on a routine monthly run to Civitavecchia, Italy, but on this trip, as well as the normal trade shipments, she was said to have been carrying a much more exciting cargo. It was thought to have consisted of several million French francs destined for the Vatican, gifts for the birthday of Pope Pius IX from Church officials in France, and possible pay for the French army in Italy.

Her passengers included many powerful dignitaries and wealthy merchantmen, some with their families, a group of Pontifical guards, and the Pontifical Consul representing the Holy See in Marseilles, who was returning to Rome.

The General Abbatucci and her secrets lay untouched on the seabed until she was located in May 1996, nearly 127 years after her tragic end.

It took Blue Water Recoveries Ltd 32 days of searching before they finally found the wreck they were looking for, scanning over 1000 square miles plagued by bad weather and unpredictable currents - attested to by the numerous other wrecks discovered during the search.

On the 19th May 1996 the latest wreck discovered was inspected by a remote operated vehicle with colour and wide angle black and white cameras. It bore no resemblance to the artist's impression of what they thought they would find; 127 years on the seabed had taken its toll.

The metal hull had long since rusted away leaving the huge single engined boiler exposed in the centre of the wreck. The sides of the ship had fallen outwards, collapsing to reveal the skeletal remains of the hull.

Once the age had been ascertained by the careful examination of surrounding artefacts, a more detailed search was made in order to establish the wreck's identity.

The first pieces of porcelain examined proved to be disappointing as it was cargo destined for Italy and not the ship's china which would bear the company crest for Valery, Freres & Fils and provide a positive identification. Some time later during the survey, the wreck still not having been positively identified, a severe problem developed with the remote operated vehicle - its sonar equipment, essentially its "eyes" failed. The weather on the surface was forecast to blow for two days, which would mean a further excruciating delay before the vehicle could get back on the wreck. With the sort of luck that is only found at sea, and then only rarely, the ship's compass binnacle was sighted lying on the seabed, just a few feet in front of the vehicle's camera, having been torn from the deck as the ship plummeted to the seabed 127 years previously. The binnacle was grabbed with the ROV manipulator arm and slowly raised to the surface on to the deck of the search vessel. Details had been obtained of the original equipment supplied to the vessel and the name of the manufacturer of the compass was known.

Unfortunately, when the revolving compass card was rinsed, a different name was revealed, much to the dismay and bitter disappointment of the search team. Their spirits rose, however, when a short time later there came an excited cry from the team member cleaning the body of the compass - he had discovered the sought after name on its base. This was the proof they required and the full recovery operation began. The next group of crockery examined was found to bear the company logo, the excitement mounted as much of the wreck's cargo was brought to the surface. The results were mixed. The expected main cargo of gold was not found but jewellery, watches and coins were recovered from a depth of over 8000 feet. Time ran out and it was decided to leave the remainder of the elusive cargo for another day.

When the jewellery was first brought into Christie's it was almost impossible to recognise and only professional cleaning has revealed its true glory. Nearly all of the jewellery has now been cleaned, and the transformation is unbelievable, but a few lots have been kept in recovered condition. It would appear to be part of a jeweller's stock due to the quantity of repeats of the same item, including guard chains, brooches, earrings, bangles, and rings, enabling some to be grouped together to provide matching suites.

[mariner]

SS Catterthun

Catterthun which is located off Seal Rocks just north of Port Stephens. On my first dive here I dropped the 60 metres onto the wreck and was astounded to see almost the whole wreck laid out in front of me. The visibility of 35 metres meant that nearly every inch of the 92 metre long vessel was visible from where our anchor was caught near the engine. What an introduction to a wreck!

The SS Catterthun was launched in April 1881 from the Sunderland shipyards of W. Doxford and Sons for the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company. The new iron-hulled vessel displaced 2179 tons gross and was 92 metres long with a beam of 11 metres. Twin boilers supplied steam to a two cylinder engine of 250hp. This was a big ship for its day.

The Catterthun departed Sunderland on 26 May 1881 and when 80 miles from Hong Kong, she encountered the barque, Fabius, which was taking water. She towed the ailing vessel into Hong Kong before continuing on to China. A load of 2,500 tons of tea was taken on board and on 18 August 1881 the SS Catterthun arrived in Sydney Harbour. As well as carrying cargo, the vessel was fitted out for carrying up to 38 passengers. The Catterthun entered into service on the Australia/China run, usually carrying tea to Australia and gold and other cargo for Hong Kong.

The Catterthun operated without real incident for more than 14 years. On 31 July 1895 the ship left Sydney and steamed down to Port Kembla to load coal for her boiler. She returned to Sydney on 2 August and loaded passengers and cargo. Of interest were the 8,915 gold sovereigns contained in 10 boxes which were loaded in a large iron tank known as a specie chamber. Access to the tank was through a small manhole in the chartroom floor.

At 4.30pm on 7 August 1895, the SS Catterthun left Sydney Harbour for the last time on her way to Hong Kong. There were seven European passengers on the trip, the remaining being Chinese on their way home from the Australian goldfields. There was a south-westerly gale blowing and the seas were big enough for waves to come over the deck. The conditions got worse and by three hours after sunset the there was a almost fully fledged gale hitting the Catterthun.

At thirty minutes past midnight on 8 August 1895, the vessel was off Port Stephens Lighthouse and heading N 30 E. The conditions were still getting worse, with rain and extremely strong winds. By 2am the Catterthun was six miles south of Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse (at Seal Rocks) and the crew on the bridge became concerned about the closeness of the shore. Captain Neil Shannon was consulted (he was in the chartroom) and it was agreed to alter course to N 40 E. Within a short time breakers were seen ahead (Big Seal Rock) and the Second Officer, Alfred Lanfear, ordered a change to N 80 E which unfortunately was straight towards Little Seal Rock. It was not until the vessel was almost right on the reef off Little Seal Rock that it was seen but it was too late. At 2.25am the SS Catterthun hit the reef at full speed (about 11 knots) and carried on until it hit again eight seconds later. It still continued and was now past the reef but her days were numbered. These reefs were probably Little Seal Rocks and/or some reef nearby.

Most of the sleeping crew and passengers were awoken by the two impacts and were soon up but many went back to bed after finding nothing awray. Meanwhile, the crew examined below deck and found the forepeak and number four hold almost full of water. The Captain ordered that the lifeboats be prepared for launching but the passengers had not yet been informed of the impending problem. Very soon the ship was listing to starboard and the boat was becoming difficult to handle. The Captain decided to try to beach the ship in Seal Rocks Bay and the course was altered to almost due west. By now there was a foot of water in the cabins on the Saloon Deck and only ten minutes had passed from the first impact.

The Captain and two others were washed off the bridge by a wave and one of them, Joshua Fawkes (a Torres Strait Pilot), watched as the ship powered on without anyone in control. Some lifeboats were launched and just 20 minutes after hitting the reef (at 2.45am), the Catterthun went down. One boat had 26 people in it and after considerable rowing, they came across a small sailing boat, the Olga, anchored south of Charlotte Head. The small vessel then towed the lifeboat to Foster and arrived there at 11am.

After taking the two vessels over the bar, the tug Marion Mayfield headed towards the wreck site but had to turn back because of the seas. The next morning she attempted again as did the tug Gamecock which left Newcastle. The Gamecock did not find anything but the Marion Mayfield found one lifeboat with a dead Chinese in it and two more crew. A total of 55 people died in the accident. A Coroner's Inquest into the three bodies was held at Foster on 12 August 1895.

On 19 August 1895 the Stirling departed Sydney to search for the Catterthun so that salvage could be attempted. Captain John Hall from Sydney Underwriters Association, was in charge of the vessel. On 23 August they found the wreck (in itself an amazing feat as the wreck is a considerable distance off the shore) and the next afternoon a diver was sent down to confirm that what had been found was the wreck. Arthur Briggs, the expert salvage diver who had salvaged the SS Centennial and SS Duckenfield in Sydney was brought in to do salvage on the wreck, especially the gold sovereigns. If I get the time, the story of the salvage will be provided in another article.

Today, the wreck of the SS Catterthun lies at a maximum of 60 metres pointing towards the safety of the shore. Unfortunately the wreck is located in a position where it is often subject to strong currents. As if this is not bad enough, the site is very open to southerly and south-westerly winds. See GPS and Marks Page for more details. I have now dived this wreck five times but on two dives on the wreck on the one weekend (my first two dives), the conditions varied from 35 metres on the Saturday to less than four metres on Sunday while sea, current and wind conditions remained identical. Despite this change, the second dive was still extremely exciting and thrilling.

The wreck lies upright and fairly intact. As I indicated in the opening to this article, my first dive started at the engine and we headed forward. The huge engine juts up four or five metres off the rest of the wreck and immediately in front there are the twin boilers, the starboard one with another tank on top and a donkey boiler further to starboard. Going towards the bow you pass over the refrigerator and then the refrigerated cargo hold. The specie room (where the gold was stored) is between the boiler and the refrigerator but there is no evidence of it remaining. Past the hold there is a flatter area with coal and winches.

The immediate bow of the ship is broken off from the rest of the wreck and has fallen on its starboard side. As you approach it there are numerous bones. They are not human but horse shanks being carried as cargo. Some of these can be found back on the main part of the wreck and more on the left side as you approach the bow. Part of the Catterthun's name can be seen on the bow (HUN) and the Chinese crew's quarters can be entered. A huge pile of anchor chain can be found in the lower part of the bow.

A friend of mine has found a sovereign on the wreck and also found a gold watch previously owned by William Loring and being carried by his widow and daughter when they were on their way home to England after visiting relatives in Melbourne. Both Mrs and Miss Loring died in the sinking. Another Sydney diver found another watch (not gold unfortunately) in more recent times.

This is a huge wreck, and even after doing five dives I have not yet seen but a small percentage the wreck has to offer. The stern area is fairly intact but the prop is not visible although the rudders can be seen. A large winch sits just behind the engine and you can see into some of the compartments in this area. The bottom of the wreck at the stern is just over 60 metres, the sand on the starboard side of the wreck is 59 metres (it is a metre or two shallower on the port side) and the main part of the wreck is 56 to 57 metres deep. A bottom time of 22 minutes on the wreck (and 19 in the deeper sections) means that you have to do decompression of 3 minutes at 12 metres, 6 minutes at nine metres, 14 minutes at six metres and a massive 31 minutes at three metres. With a five minute safety margin, you must do a huge 59 minutes decompression or even more.

Of course, this is a dive only for the very experienced and properly equipped. Not only do you need twin tanks (88 cf preferably), you need spare air, oxygen, proper deco bars, safety sausages, reels etc etc.

As an extra to the thrill of the wreck, divers often encounter sharks on this dive. On my first dive here we saw three or four bronze whalers swim past us as we ascended the anchor line. Friends on another boat only 50 metres away at the same time were hassled by more than 30 sharks. They ended up leaving the water before their indicated deco time was up they were so threatened by the swarming sharks. The wreck itself is covered in some of the most colourful growth that you will ever see. The soft corals almost glow in the reds, greens, yellows and purples that are lit up by your torch.

This dive can be difficult to do as no charter boats regularly visit the wreck. In most cases you will need to use your own boat although I believe that at least one of the Forster dive shops will take experienced divers to the wreck.

In summary, the most exciting dive in NSW, if not Australia, as well as being just behind the best two dives I have ever done (100 hammerhead sharks and the USS Aaron Ward).

Michael McFadyen

Edited November 28, 2006 by mariner

[bigjarofwasps]

Also of interest might be my threads on the RMS Douro & HMS Edinburgh.

[JimZ]

As a scuba diving fanatic in the warm blue seas of Malta ... (that was before I stupidly draged myself to the mountains of land locked Switzerland) .... I find this thread most interesting! I doubt that I can however contribute much to the topic of gold and medallions as most of the acceccible wrecks in the area are indeed WW2.

It still, makes some very very interesting reading.... The pics in post 4 set my heart racing. I will never forget my first wreck (a humble tug boat).... A distant dark shadow which, within three or four odd fin strokes revealed itself as the haunting shape of the wreck.....

I get gooseflesh remembering and still feel the same each time I approach a wreck. Close to 2 years without a dive....... ...depressing!

Jim

[bigjarofwasps]

As a scuba diving fanatic in the warm blue seas of Malta ... (that was before I stupidly draged myself to the mountains of land locked Switzerland) .... I find this thread most interesting! I doubt that I can however contribute much to the topic of gold and medallions as most of the acceccible wrecks in the area are indeed WW2.

It still, makes some very very interesting reading.... The pics in post 4 set my heart racing. I will never forget my first wreck (a humble tug boat).... A distant dark shadow which, within three or four odd fin strokes revealed itself as the haunting shape of the wreck.....

I get gooseflesh remembering and still feel the same each time I approach a wreck. Close to 2 years without a dive....... ...depressing!

Jim

Hi Jim

I`d love to have a bash at diving on a wreck, especially one that has or had gold on it, as you never know your luck do you ho,ho,ho. I`ve only ever had a beginners go at scuba diving, but loved it. I`d very much like to get in on the scene, but have no idea where to even begin, any tips?

Gordon.

[bigjarofwasps]

A link that might be of interest.......

http://home.att.net/~EnRada/bulletins.htm