Edward Lee Spence (1947 – ) was an American "treasure hunter" born in Germany. He received his Doctor of Marine Histories from the Sea Research Society's College of Marine Arts in 1972 and has devoted his life to interdisciplinary research in marine archaeology. Considered a pioneer in underwater archaeology and one of the founders of marine archaeology, Spence has extremely deep expertise in shipwrecks and treasure sinking.
Edward Lee Spence and he found a golden hilt
A wonderful journey for young treasure hunters
Spence's love of marine archaeology dates back to his childhood. Spence's father worked in military intelligence during World War II, and often told Sipons Jr. about his espionage career after the war. Spence lives in Paris, France, at the age of 4 or 5. One day, while sorting out the garden, his father dug up a Stone Age bead and a flint bullet point, much to the delight of his children, and Spence and his two older brothers immediately began to search for their own treasure in the yard. The following year, they went to Florida to take Daytona to visit relatives, and Spence, led by his father, went to the sea to collect various shells and learned a lot of shell names and related knowledge. In Sipons' memory, the most vivid story is that his father taught him to put his hands together under the water, and his index finger was attached to the top of both eyes, forming a shield above the eyes, which could hold the exhaled gas, and the bubbles generated when exhaling formed a simple temporary mask, which could see things under the water. This little trick opens the door to a whole new world for Spence.
When Spence was 9 years old, his family moved to indochina. That Christmas, his father gave him two leather-bound books— Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island. He later recalled that although he was not quite aware of his father's intentions at the time, the books did fascinate him. After that, Spence also read Jacques Yves Cousteau's Le Monde du Silence and Johann David Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, and became more and more addicted to it. "If I hadn't been attracted to adventure at a very young age, I would have been interested in adventure after reading these books," Spence said. He then dreamed of adventure, as in the novel, looking for shipwrecks and underwater treasures, and drinking rum salvaged from shipwrecks. At the same time, he also remembered his father's words: the key to success is hard work.
From the age of 11, Spence began designing and manufacturing his own diving gear. However, his mother believed that his design was hidden and did not support him wearing the equipment of his own design to go into the water, so he has been secretly planning his underwater activities behind his mother's back. However, as his mother expected, he almost drowned when he first used the homemade equipment to go into the water, so he had to start a new stove and start all over again.
Since childhood, Spence has found many scattered artifacts on the seabed. When he was 12 years old, he discovered his first shipwreck. By the time he was 13, he had discovered 5 shipwrecks and some ancient coins. While he himself believes that this is largely due to luck, it also makes him more active in sticking to training, allowing the eye to find scattered artifacts more quickly underwater. At the same time, he also continuously learned about shipwrecks and sinking treasures. He realized that most of the ships had sunk because they had hit the reef or rocks, so he looked for the shoals not far from the seashore, where there were far more shipwrecks than expected. Among them, Georgiana was regarded by Spence himself as the most important discovery of his life, when he was only a teenager.
While Spence was still in school, he read about the Georgiana shipwreck in a compilation of government documents. Later, with the help of a librarian, he began to search for information about the shipwreck with the help of microfilm records. During the American Civil War, the GEORGIANA was regarded as the strongest cruiser of its time. However, it sank in 1863 as it made its maiden voyage through the federal blockade of Chaston, South Carolina. In the process of searching for information, Spence discovers that the personable captain Rhett Butler in the famous novel Gone with the Wind is based on the owner of the Georgiana, George Alfred Trenholm.
When the Georgiana came out of the water, more than a million artifacts were found on board. From mid-19th century artillery to Britain's famous Waikywood porcelain. In this excavation, Spence made about $20 million.
Some of the items recovered from the Georgina
Bottles and cans salvaged by the Georgina
Cobalt blue bottle of castor oil salvaged from the Georgiana in 1972
Dangers abound
For Spence, the treasure hunt for the ocean is not only his source of livelihood, but also the way for him to realize his self-worth in this life. He had been married five times in his lifetime, and perhaps in his life experience those beautiful women who were silent but angry were more unpredictable than those in the depths of the ocean.
Spence and the flintlock gun he found
However, Spence's adventures were not all smooth sailing. Ocean treasure hunters always face a variety of threats. One is because of the danger of the activity itself, and the other is the countless outlaws who cannot resist the temptation of great money. During the dive, Spence encountered various dangers such as being buried in a hole due to landslides, entangled in fishing nets, trapped in a shipwreck, running out of oxygen and not being able to surface in time, being bitten by a fish, and even being stabbed and shot. And even on shore, the famous treasure hunter often faces the threat of death.
Because of the enormous allure of underwater treasures, Spence is often drawn into entanglements with governments and gangs, especially in South America. He was charged with "treason" in Colombia, even though he was not a Colombian citizen and had no Colombian ancestry. Even when he left Colombia, local television broadcast news about his "trial," and Spence was furious and soon returned to Colombia to seek naval support. However, the gang did not spare him, and the leader of the gang, a drug lord, threatened Spence that although he himself would not kill Spence, he assured that the body of Spence would soon be found floating at sea, and the reason was unfortunately drowning. Spence is confident that he will not die, because all they want to know is the clue to the shipwreck on the seabed, and if Spence dies, they will have to look for it again. Later, in an interview, Si Peng Stan said that although he was not afraid of death, he was not a "stunned youth". "If I can survive by giving up the treasure, I would be happy to do so." Later, Spence left Colombia safely that night, but did not reveal more details about the incident.
Spence and the pistol he found
Genius's bad thing
Another sensational piece of news was the controversy between Spence and Clive Cussler over the discovery of the H.L. Hunley submarine. The USS Hanley was the first submarine in world history to be sunk, and although it played little role in the American Civil War (it was sunk in 1864), it was of considerable historical significance, so That Spence considered it his most important discovery.
Although Spence had spent several years meticulously investigating the Hanley, he thought the discovery was technically accidental. One day in 1970, while directing other searches at sea, the fishing grate suddenly caught something that he thought was the USS Housatonic. But on that day, Spence had no diving plans, did not bring his own diving equipment, but his love of history and exploration far exceeded the fear of uneasiness and danger, and he borrowed the equipment of the crew to jump into the cold waters to check for himself. He saw the fishing grate at the bottom of the sea hooked by a small platform that was not naturally formed, and he was sure that it was definitely not the Hausatonic. With very few exposed parts of the ship, Spence stared for half a day, when suddenly he realized that it was at the top of the Hanley's hull. He swam excitedly to the surface and screamed, "I found the Hanley!" But no one expected that after more than 20 years of this excited announcement, it was found that the results almost changed hands.
In 1995, as a failed novelist and successful businessman, Kasler announced to the media that he had discovered the HMS Hanley, which was not the first time Kasler had stolen the results of Espens's discovery. He also published the HAMLEY's GPS location map. The map uses an "X" to indicate the specific location of the Hanley, but this map is based on the 1979 drawing of The Spence. Later, dr. Mark Newell, the underwater archaeologist who was the actual commander of the project, admitted that he had conducted the expedition on the basis of Spence's map and acknowledged Spence's right to discover.
Although the evidence is overwhelming, after media rendering, many people still believe that Kasler discovered the Hanley, because the statement issued by Kasler at that time was officially recognized by the state government, which broke Spence's heart. However, as more information was revealed, the South Carolina attorney general acknowledged Spence's right to discover the ship. According to the relevant laws, Spence also enjoys the ownership of this submarine. Although the value of the ship was estimated at $12 million, Spence eventually decided to donate the ship to the nation.
R.G. Skerrett painted the U.S. Federal torpedo boat Hanley in 1902. Spence's private collection
The Hanley was salvaged out of the water
The Hanley number in the repair
In 1979, Spence published the map. The word "it" and the marker "X" pointed by the arrow are used to indicate the true position of the Hanley. © E. Lee Spence
A controversial report on the discoverer of the Hanley
News about Spence's donation of ownership of the Hanley
How underwater archaeologists are refined
Unlike many marine treasure hunters, Spence is a professionally trained scholar. He has repeatedly told his younger colleagues that unless you are passionate about history and archaeology, don't do anything about shipwreck salvage and treasure hunting. He repeatedly warned others not to think that underwater archaeology was just to dive to the bottom of the sea to salvage those artifacts, and then you can get rich overnight. In fact, people often see only the final success and turn a blind eye to the arduous process of shaping this success. During his university years, Spence studied five languages and was able to read Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian directly. In addition, he studied chemistry, physics and advanced mathematics, as well as cartography and engineering. When it comes to shipwreck salvage, he believes knowledge of welding, compressors, gas and diesel engines is also important. As for learning to dive, directing a boat, using sonar and magnetometers, etc., you need to learn more.
In addition, if you don't have enough money to do underwater archaeology and preliminary research preparations, you must find an investor. Therefore, business operations and legal knowledge have also become necessary. Moreover, even with the funds, it is necessary to deal with the countries where the shipwrecks are located, to get all kinds of permits, machinery and equipment and workers, and especially to rub with the bureaucracies of these countries for a long time, waiting for their approvals. So, a true underwater archaeologist, "you can't just love history, you have to be an all-rounder of salesmen, inventors, merchants, and scientists." Although this requirement is very high, for Spence, his life has been to prepare and practice for this cause.
As Spence said to a friend, "Every discovery excites me when I discover these hundreds of shipwrecks." But my evaluation of the value of the shipwreck is not simply based on the economic return it can bring, but what I am most satisfied with is that my discovery and research have revealed the mystery of something that has never been discovered." He repeatedly told the media and those who wanted to get rich overnight through underwater treasure hunting that making money was not his original purpose, he only embarked on this path because of his love of history and adventure: "Money is just a by-product of my pursuit of my dreams, a windfall." From the science fiction novels he read as a child, he learned a very important idea, and let this idea always be deeply rooted in his heart, and reflected in every investigation and every day of life. The idea is: No matter what kind of dream you have, I just know that the only way to make it come true is to work hard to achieve it. In the words of Vader in The Three-Body Problem, it's "Forward!" advance! Move forward by any means! ”
Hopefully, we can all walk on the road of chasing our dreams and get rich by-products and windfalls.
Some of The Books of Spence