MALCOM TO LECTURE ON
WRECK OF MANILA GALLEON
AT TROPIC CINEMA
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum Community of Scholars Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, May 2nd with Corey Malcom's account of “The Wreck of the Manila Galleon Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion". The lecture is at 7 p.m. at the Tropic Cinema at 416 Eaton Street and is free and open to the public.
Malcom, director of archaeology for the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society
in Key West, will speak on the archaeology and history of the wreck of the Nuestra
Señora de la Concepción. The Concepción was a Spanish manila galleon, sailing the
Pacific in trade that linked Asia with colonial Mexico.
Malcom served as a member of the team in 1988 that excavated the Concepción. He will relate his personal experiences in the recoveries from the wreck, and an overview of the ship's remarkable story. The Concepción, the largest and richest Spanish galleon of its time, wrecked on the coast of the island of Saipan in 1638. The doomed ship was sailing from Manila to Acapulco carrying a cargo of gold, silks, spices and other Asian goods. The Concepción was operating under a corrupt and ineffectual command and the combination of mutiny and bad weather sent the ship onto the rocky shore, where it was completely destroyed, and left few survivors.
In 1987 the site was discovered by William Mathers and excavated by his company Pacific Sea Resources in 1988. A stunning collection of gold jewelry, porcelain, and other objects from the ship were recovered. The project was featured in National Geographic magazine, and today the recovered artifacts are on display at the CNMI Museum of History and Culture on Saipan.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to hear one of Key West's favorite lecturers speak about this exciting find. Corey Malcom has been with the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum since 1986 and has participated in a number of underwater archaeological projects including the Senora de Atocha, the Henrietta Marie and the St. John's wreck in the Bahamas. A question and answer period will follow the lecture.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum is a 501 c (3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the research, preservation and education of New World History. Founded in 1982, it is the most visited non-profit history museum in the southeastern United States and has been accredited by the American Association of Museums.
