The legendary Burt D. Webber Jr., the treasure hunter who made history in 1978 when he located the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion that sank in 1641 and recovered US$14 million in booty off Dominican waters, will be back to the Silver Bank with state-of-the-art shipwreck salvaging technology to search for new, even more valuable treasures. This time the US$2 million expedition will use the 128-foot Ocean Lady as its main exploration vessel, employing submarines for the ocean search. Webber is leading a 13-member crew that hopes to recover the rest of the Concepcion treasure.
Webber has introduced sophisticated new underwater magnetometer systems and housings, and gained a reputation as a meticulous researcher. He is credited for bringing shipwreck exploration and salvage to a high new state-of-the-art standard. Webber states, “The 21st century technology that we are now able to utilize is intended to cut down on survey time. We expect incredible accuracy from the technology on board.”
Webber will carry out a five-month search of waters located 100 kms north of Puerto Plata. In 1978, Webber’s expedition produced over 60,000 silver coins, bullion, gold chains and priceless artifacts, most of which are permanently exhibited in Santo Domingo’s national museums.
His company, Marine Explorations Inc. reached an exclusive host country treasure-salvage contract with the Dominican government for exclusive rights to search national waters in the Silver Bank on the northeast coast of the DR. Webber estimates the treasure at more than US$100 million. Among the treasures are ornamental objects, gold chains and Ming Dynasty Chinese ceramics.
The story of the Concepcion is that after English pirates successfully captured the vessel, they themselves were shipwrecked in nearby waters. The Webber excursion seeks to recover the bounty on board the pirate ship that is located some 22 kms south of the Concepcion site. The pre-1688 treasure wreck is believed to be lying on the Navidad Bank, where cannons and bars were actually seen by Captain Swinstead in 1688, but were never recovered. More wrecks are expected to be located during the Concepcion treasure hunt. While the company will be concentrating on recovering the treasures of the Concepcion, in the long term it will explore 13 other shipwrecks have been located in the same area, as well as three early 16th Century caravel “impact” sites discovered by Webber three years later off of Isla Saona and Catalinita Reef in the approaches to the Mona Passage that separates the DR and Puerto Rico.
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