Pirate's Cove

It’s reported that the ship has about $101 million on it. Of course, the original haul was reportedly worth a billion dollars

Archaeologists Say They’ve Found a Legendary Pirate Ship, Rewriting History

Archaeologists say they have discovered a legendary pirate shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar.

The findings were announced in a research article by Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini of the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts.

“This study presents archaeological evidence supporting the identification of a unique 18th-century shipwreck at Îlot Madame, off the coast of Sainte-Marie Island, Madagascar, as the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a Portuguese treasure ship captured by pirates Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) and John Taylor in 1721,” they wrote.

Levasseur was “a French buccaneer colloquially known as La Buse or ‘The Buzzard’ for his swift and predatory tactics, remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the captivating history of piracy,” Discovery Channel UK notes.

According to the Golden Age of Piracy, the capture of the Nostra Senora della Cabo was a famed heist that saw the two pirates “capture a massive Portuguese treasure ship sailing out of the city of Goa. The massive 700-ton ship was carrying the Bishop of Goa, also known as the Patriarch of the East Indies along with the retiring Viceroy of Portugal. They were both returning to Lisbon with all of their wealth and artifacts when the ship was damaged in a storm.”

The treasure was supposed to include the Flaming Cross of Goa, a 7 foot tall solid gold cross inlaid with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.

What’s the evidence?

“Artifacts recovered from the site include exported Chinese porcelain, religious artifacts of Goan origin, coinage, cowrie shells, and construction materials consistent with Portuguese East Indian design,” the researchers wrote. “The archaeological assemblage recovered from the site corresponds with historical descriptions of the Cabo’s cargo, route, and subsequent refit and final renaming by La Buse as the Victorieux.”

So, where’s the rest of the treasure? Some think in the Reunion Island area, which is owned by France (longest domestic flight on Earth), as pirates were a heavy presence there. And that’s where La Buse hintimated it was buried when he threw his coded parchment into the crowd before being hung by the neck, and said “with what I buried here I could buy this island.”

He was also featured on and Expedition Unknown episode. I think there was some series on pirates on Hbo Max I watched, but, no longer subscribed.