The gripping true story of bitter rivalries on the high seas, a brilliant 17th-Century pirate captain, and the two adventurous men determined to find his treasure. Captained by English nobleman-turned-pirate Joseph Bannister, the Golden Fleece was a pirate ship sunk by the Royal Navy in 1686 taking with it many fortunes' worth of gold. When present-day adventurers John Chatterton and John Mattera hear of it, they know they have to risk everything to get their hands on it.
Bestselling author Robert Kurson not only recreates the break-neck excitement of their search for the lost ship, but also vividly re-imagines life on the high seas in the Golden Age of piracy in this thrilling true-life adventure.
"It tells the story of how Chatterton and Mattera got the bug for diving, the dangers involved, the thrill of diving comes alive, even if like myself you have never donned a scuba suit you can sense the thrill that comes from exploring the deep. I just wish after reading this book that I was thirty years younger ... This is a book which took over two years to write and the research and interviews
Army Rumour Service
"The author sensibly breaks up the book with accounts of other treasure hunters (who seem like a fascinating bunch in their own right), as well as a history of Caribbean piracy, and speculation about the wreck's location. Meanwhile there are many false trails that Kurson cleverly weaves into the book to keep the reader guessing ... The wider issue of treasure hunting and salvage rights in the late 2000s is a recurring theme, and Chatterton and Mattera may be the last of a small number of people with the opportunity and nouse to hunt down a valuable piece of ancient history in this fashion. For that reason alone, the book is definitely worth a read."
