Foi em 19 de Novembro de 1724 que o navio Slot ter Hooge, da Companhia Holandesa das Índias Orientais - Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, regressado de Batavia, na actual Indonésia, com destino a Amesterdão, naufragou na ilha do Porto Santo, no arquipélago da Madeira. Ao se aproximar de Portugal, uma tempestade alterou o curso do navio e na impossibilidade de corrigir a sua rota, embateu nas rochas da costa norte do Porto Santo. Em poucos minutos o navio desapareceu na a enseada do Porto do Guilherme. Dos 254 passageiros a bordo, apenas 33 se salvaram.
A Companhia Holandesa das Índias Orientais esperava recuperar grande parte da sua carga. Com esse objectivo contactaram o Inglês John Lethbridge. Lethbridge tinha desenvolvido um mecanismo de mergulho que parecia um barril com tamanho suficiente para caber um homem. Deitado face ao fundo marinho, o operador podia executar manobras de pequena amplitude com os braços, que saíam através de vedantes em cabedal, para fixação de cabos e âncoras aos bens recuperáveis.
250 anos mais tarde o Belga Robert Sténuit descobriu numa foto de um artefacto antigo, as coordenadas do naufrágio. Depois de negociar e chegar a acordo com o governo holandês e português, iniciou em 1975 as suas buscas juntamente com uma equipa de 4 mergulhadores.
Quando terminou, Sténuit recuperou uma colecção incrível de artefactos, moedas e barras de prata.
Uma pequena parte do espólio do Sloot ter Hooge recuperado em 1974 permaneceu na Casa Colombo – Museu de Porto Santo. Retomados alguns mergulhos na década de 1980, foram recuperados mais artefactos, hoje conservados na ala de reservas do Museu Quinta das Cruzes, no Funchal.
At your feet you'll have the inlet of Porto do Guilherme (Port William).
It was on November 19, 1724 that the ship Slot ter Hooge, from the Dutch East India Company - Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, returned to Batavia in the current Indonesia , bound for Amsterdam, shipwrecked on the island of Porto Santo in the Madeira archipelago. When approaching Portugal, a storm changed the ship's course and it crashed on the rocks of the north coast of Porto Santo. In a few minutes the ship disappeared into the inlet of Port William. Of the 254 passengers aboard, only 33 were saved.
The ship was carrying chests with bars and silver coins.
The Dutch East India Company hoped to regain much of its cargo. Therefore they contacted the English John Lethbridge. Lethbridge had developed a diving mechanism that looked like a barrel large enough to fit a man. Laying over the seabed, the operator could perform small range maneuvers with their arms, that came through leather seals, for fastening cables and anchors to recoverable objects. Their work was successful and a year later he had recovered 349 of 1500 bars of silver, some coins and two cannons. He continued for five years and in the end only 250 silver bars and some coins remained missing.
250 years later the Belgian Robert Sténuit found in a photo of an ancient artifact, the coordinates of the shipwreck. After negotiating and reaching an agreement with the Dutch and Portuguese government, he began his search in 1975 along with a team of 4 divers.
When finished, Stenuit recovered an incredible collection of artifacts, coins and silver bars.
A small part of the collection stayed at Casa Colombo - Museu de Porto Santo.
In some recent dives in the 1980s, more artifacts were recovered and are preserved today in the reservation wing in Museum Quinta das Cruzes, Funchal.
Recuperação de um canhão de bronze do naufrágio do Slot ter
Hooge no Porto do Guilherme, Porto Santo, em 1974.
(Foto: Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic Society)
Recovery of a bronze cannon from the shipwreck of the Slot ter Hooge in Porto do Guilerme, Porto Santo in 1974.
(Photo: Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic Society)
Interpretação do resgate de Lethbridge na ilha do Porto Santo em 1724.
(Desenho de Pierre Mion, National Geographic Society)
Interpretation of Lethbridge's rescue on the island of Porto Santo in 1724.
(Drawing by Pierre Mion, National Geographic Society)
FTF: RicardoGonçalvesrady / LisaJardim |
STF: k2yak |
TTF: camane |