Fatal Treasure: Greed and Death, Emeralds and Gold, and the Obsessive Search for the Legendary Ghost Galleon Atocha
In 1622, the Spanish galleonAtochasank in a hurricane off the coast of Florida with 260 passengers and crew. The ship contained an estimated 40 tons of stolen gold and silver ingots, gold coins, emeralds, and jewelry. Smith, a reporter for theAtlantaJournal-Constitution, informs us that in 1969 Mel Fisher set out to search forAtochaand its sister ship,Santa Margarita,which also sunk in the hurricane; 143 of its passengers and crew drowned. Fisher foundMargaritaand its $20 million in gold in 1971, but found only bits and pieces ofAtocha's treasure. Smith describes the decades-long quest to findAtocha's riches: encounters with sharks and other dangers (one young diver was killed after being sucked into a boat's massive propellers) and legal battles with the government. In the 1980s, half of the ship was found, along with gold chains and coins, silver bars, and emeralds (2,189 gems valued at $70 million). With 30 black-and-white photographs, this is an engaging account of a remarkable treasure hunt.George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved