Join Chet Van Duzer and Arthur Dunkelman as they look at the kinds of equipment available for recovering materials from shipwrecks in the late 17th century and discuss the manuscript atlases made by the English cartographer William Hack.

William Hack's beautiful maps, copied from a "derrotero" (sailing directions with maps) captured from a Spanish ship in 1680, show the locations of several shipwrecks, unusual in 17th-century maps. His later atlases also include indications of the amount of treasure on those ships. Van Duzer argues that this change was inspired by William Phips' spectacular recovery of treasure from a Spanish wreck in 1687. Phips' recovery increased appreciation of shipwrecks as a potential economic resource and the addition of information about sunken treasure to his atlases created an extra source of value in his works, as guides for the discovery of treasure.

NOTE: The video and audio sync issues are part of the original recording. Please pardon the technical difficulties.