of the tens of thousands of ships on the ocean bottom, only a handful, less than 1 percent, contain negotiable treasure, such as gold and jewels.most give us a different priceless treasure -- history.a sunken ship lies in trust, preserved in the airless environment of the sea and those in deep water are especially well protected.no dry land sites anywhere -- except perhaps egyptian tombs -- are in a better state of preservation than a vessel deep in the ocean.a sunken ship, therefore, can be a rare window through which a moment in time is glimpsed.
在數(shù)以萬計(jì)的海底沉船中,只有極少數(shù),不到百分之一的沉船上有可流通的財(cái)富,如黃金和珠寶。多數(shù)沉船提供給我們的是另一種無價(jià)的財(cái)富--歷史。沉船被海洋中沒有空氣的環(huán)境保管起來,躺在深水中的船只被保存得尤其完好。大概除了埃及金字塔外,陸地上沒有哪些遺跡比深海沉船保存得更完好了。因此,每一只沉船便成為我們探視歷史的一扇難得的窗戶。