WRECK OF 1799

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 533, 10 December 1928, Page 2

WRECK OF 1799

ATTEMPT TO SALVAGE TREASURE £1.666.000 IN GOLD A contract has been arranged byLloyd’s with two Dutch salvage firms for the exclusive rights to endeavour to obtain gold and silver valued at twenty million guilder (approximately £1,666,000) from the ship Lutine, which was sunk off the coast of Terschelling, near the coast of Holland, in 1799. The Lutine, under the command of Captain Skinner, set out from the Yarmouth Roads, on the east coast of England, on October 8. 1799. She was originally a French warship of 900 tons, but was transferred in 1798 to the British flag. When she left the Yarmouth Roads the Lutine had on hoard a large sum of money for the payment of the British troops who were then helping Holland against the French. There was also on board bars of gold and silver consigned to Hamburg, in Germany. The vessel became stranded off the island of Terschelling. She sank at 2.30 on the morning of October 10, 1799, and all on board were lost. Since then many attempts have been made to recover the sunken bullion. In 1880 the Dutch Government recovered gold and silver valued at more than 670,000 guilders. Some more of the gold was recovered years afterwards. The rights to recover the precious metal are said to have been transferred later to Lloyd’s. As the years have gone by, the work of recovering the treasure has become increasingly difficult. Sand to the depth of many feet has almost completely covered the vessel. The Dutch companies which have now secured a contract will work with the very latest salvage material (savs the London “Referee”). The most elaborate machine to be used is popularly known as a “sand-sucker,” which lifts sand from the ocean bed, hut does not hold up the work by obstruction in the dredger. Divers who will work on the wreck will carry telephones, with which they will be able to communicate with those on board the salvage vessel.