Legendary Pirate Shipwreck Discovered: Treasure Worth $100 Million Found!

Quick Smiles:

• An American research team believes they have identified a legendary shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar.
• The ship, Nossa Senhora do Cabo, was a Portuguese warship captured by notorious French pirates in 1721.
• Artifacts recovered suggest the ship was one of the largest pirate hauls ever, with a treasure worth $100 million today.

Off the coast of Madagascar, the waves have whispered secrets of pirates and lost treasures for centuries. Now, an American research team is tuning into those whispers, believing they have pinpointed the wreck of the famed Nossa Senhora do Cabo.

This Portuguese warship, weighing in at 700 tons, was seized by a notorious French pirate while making its way back to Lisbon in 1721.

The ship’s hold was brimming with riches meant for the Portuguese crown, including Chinese porcelain, nutmeg, gold coins, and silver bars. Also aboard were 200 enslaved individuals from Madagascar, where the ship met its watery grave.

Though much of the treasure has vanished over time, the artifacts that remain have been cross-referenced with historical records. These findings strongly suggest the identity of the wreck as Nossa Senhora, a prize of seismic renown, partly due to the survival of multiple literate witnesses.

The Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts spearheaded marine archaeological surveys using sonar and dive teams. Their efforts focused on a cluster of shipwrecks near Nosy Boraha, an island north of Madagascar, once known as Sainte-Marie.

During the Golden Age of Piracy, this island was a notorious pirate haven. It seems the Portuguese vessel was brought here after being attacked near the Reunion Islands, a French colony in the Indian Ocean.

The ship, on its return from Goa—a Portuguese stronghold in India—was laden with a fortune in precious stones, silks, religious figurines, and carvings in wood and ivory. Onboard were a Goan viceroy, a Portuguese nobleman, the Archbishop of Goa, and the enslaved individuals.

Historical accounts attribute the attack on the 72-gun Nossa Senhora to pirates Olivier “The Buzzard” Levasseur and John Taylor.

Levasseur, born in Calais during the Nine Year’s War to a wealthy family, epitomized the pirate life. Known for participating in major raids, he famously buried treasure and left a cryptic message about its location, living lavishly until his execution around age 40.

The treasure value and ransom money combined to create what was described as an “eye-watering treasure, even by pirate standards,” according to researchers involved in the shipwreck surveys.

For 16 years, the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation has studied the waters around Nosy Boraha, a site where captured ships were often scuttled. The area, with numerous wrecks likely from the same era, holds promise for future exploration.

The surveys, excavations, and research on Nossa Senhora have been extensively documented and shared with the public, highlighting the fascinating history of this legendary shipwreck.

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