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Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship

Robert Kurson (Goodreads Author)

4.01 · Rating details · 8,328 ratings · 1,130 reviews

A thrilling new adventure of danger and deep-sea diving, historic mystery and suspense, by the author of the New York Times bestseller Shadow Divers

Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men—John Chatterton and John Mattera—are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Josep ...more

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Hardcover, 275 pages

Published June 16th 2015 by Random House

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Jan 19, 2018 Leo . rated it really liked it

I know that John Chatterton is a world renown diver. I have seen him dive a couple of times on the fantastic show The Curse Of Oak Island.

Pirates have always fascinated me. The secrecy. The brotherhood. A masonic connection? Sir Francis Drake was basically a pirate working for the Crown.

I watched the whole series of Black Sails and remember a poignant thing Captain Flint the Pirate says when spotting a British Ship on the horizon from the bay of Nassau.

"I fear the worst, civilization is coming ...more

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May 12, 2015 Diane rated it liked it

Shelves: history, nonfiction

This book spent a lot of time treading water.

Pirate Hunters is the story of three men trying to find the wreck of a 17th century pirate ship in the Dominican Republic. Joseph Bannister was an Englishman who turned to piracy, and the Royal Navy was sent to capture him. Bannister's ship, the Golden Fleece, sank in 1686 after a ferocious battle. It wasn't seen again until 2009, when our pirate hunters found it after months of searching.

This book was described as an adventure story, which is why I w This book spent a lot of time treading water.

Pirate Hunters is the story of three men trying to find the wreck of a 17th century pirate ship in the Dominican Republic. Joseph Bannister was an Englishman who turned to piracy, and the Royal Navy was sent to capture him. Bannister's ship, the Golden Fleece, sank in 1686 after a ferocious battle. It wasn't seen again until 2009, when our pirate hunters found it after months of searching.

This book was described as an adventure story, which is why I was keen to read it. However, there were too many pages on the background of the three pirate hunters: John Chatterton, John Mattera, and Tracy Bowden. There were lengthy profiles on each man, but I didn't think their personal stories needed such glossy attention. There was also too much time spent on the bickering between the men, and on all the false starts and stops of their hunt. The men would search in the water, then get frustrated and go to a library or archives to do research, and then argue with each other, and then go back out to the water. This process repeated itself many times, and my interest in the story declined with each loop. It felt like the author was trying to pad out what should have been a magazine article.

In the beginning, I thought this book would be a 4-star read -- there were some good sections on Bannister and the history of piracy -- but the excessive padding made me drop a star. I think someone who likes pirate stories or tales of treasure hunting would still enjoy this book, but the writing could have been tighter.

Favorite Quote
"Treasure shows who you really are. It strips away every facade you've constructed, every story you believe about yourself, and reveals the real you. If you are a miserable, lying, greedy, worthless fuck, treasure will tell you that. If you are a good and decent person, treasure will tell you that, too. And you needn't find a single coin to know. It's enough to get close to treasure, to believe it within reach, and you'll have your answer, but once it happens it can't be lied about and it can't be bullshitted away. For that reason, treasure is crisis, because what you get in the end is yourself." ...more

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Apr 22, 2016 Dem rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, favorites

I stumbled on this book while I was trying to find a book on the Amber Room (The Amber Room is a world-famous chamber decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, located in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg Originally constructed in the 18th century in Prussia, the Amber Room disappeared during World War II and was recreated in 2003. Before the room was lost, it was considered an "Eighth Wonder of the World"),

I didn't have any expectations before readi ...more

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Jun 05, 2016 Jennifer Masterson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I'm DNF'ing this at 60%. It's just too much back story on the men looking for the ship and not enough about The Golden Compass. I wanted treasure and they only touched on that in the beginning. Also this isn't good on audio because this book needs pictures. The narrator Ray Porter is good. Don't take my word for it. Lots of people loved this book. ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I fell in love with Kurson's Shadow Divers, so when this came up I just has to grab it. These divers are amazing men, the amount of time and money this takes is astronomical and this plays havoc on lives and relationships.

In this book they are looking for a pirate's ship, the Golden Fleece of John Bannister. Bannister is the only pirate that actually beat the Royal Navy. There is so much more to, this book, a history of piracy, the leasing pirates of the time and how they fought and the treasure ...more

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May 20, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, adreniline-adventure, lifetime-favorites

My sincere thanks to Random House and Netgalley for allowing access to the e-galley of Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship to be published June 16, 2015.

Demonstrating the same meticulous research, detail and respect as he did in Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson has once again written a winner that is bound to resonate with readers. In Pirate Hunters, Kurson follows the adventuresome quest divers, the two John’s, Chatterton and Mattera as they search for th My sincere thanks to Random House and Netgalley for allowing access to the e-galley of Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship to be published June 16, 2015.

Demonstrating the same meticulous research, detail and respect as he did in Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson has once again written a winner that is bound to resonate with readers. In Pirate Hunters, Kurson follows the adventuresome quest divers, the two John’s, Chatterton and Mattera as they search for the lost ship, The Golden Fleece, once captained by buccaneer Joseph Bannister. Pirate Hunters is truly a swashbuckling read and treasure found.

Kurson’s Shadow Divers is an all time favorite of mine. Pirate Hunters promised some of the same elements that drew me to that story. It fills my need for edge of the seat adventure, vicarious experiences and the thrill of the hunt. Who wouldn’t be fascinated with the idea of As Kurson needed to decide the approach of how to tell this story, I needed to decide how much to tell you without revealing too much.

There is a great deal to digest in Pirate Hunters. Initially Chatterton and Mattera had planned and search for a treasure ship, The San Bartolomé, which had sunk in the 17th century on the Dominican south coast. This galleon could be worth millions, they knew where it was, and its discovery promised to get them in the history books.

”And then their phone rang.”

They received a call from Tracy Bowden, a well-respected treasure hunter. He asked them to come to Miami to hear a project he’d like them to take on. Though both men were focused on their quest for the San Bartolomé, they decided it wouldn’t take much time out of their schedule to hear Bowden out. Bowden’s home was a treasure trove of artifacts from wrecks he had found. On a visit to the latrine, Mattera discovered the tub filled with plastic bags containing silver pieces of eight. This combined with Bowden’s prowess in storytelling caught their attention. Bowden asked

Have you heard of Joseph Bannister?”

With these six words the quest for The Golden Fleece begins. Sit back and be prepared to learn about the Golden Age of Piracy. Knowing little about this subject I came away with a better understanding of the men who became these looters of the sea than is presented in the movies.

I am extremely impressed with the sheer patience, determination, personal sacrifice, capital and even stubbornness it takes for men like Chatterton, Mattera and their crew to take on a project like this and not give up. Kurson covers a great deal of ground here providing a clear picture of the formative years of the main players, stories of treasure ships and their booty, background on The Royal Navy, the code of conduct for pirates, and many resources for further reading. Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship is riveting.
...more

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Dec 19, 2016 Carlos rated it really liked it

I loved this book, The mixture of underwater archeology, the historical background of the pirate ship and pirate themselves added a lot to the narrative. I'm a sucker for anything historical specially having to do with the golden age of Piracy which happens to be right smack in the middle of the Imperialistic age, which is always interesting to read about from a historian point of view. The only reason that I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I don't think everybody would appreciate the d ...more

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Apr 16, 2015 Ken rated it really liked it

Shelves: finished-in-2015, contemporary, nonfiction

Pirate Hunters is more than just "the search for the lost treasure ship of a great buccaneer," it's history, biography, and psychology rolled into one page-turning tale. Ostensibly, this is the story of two treasure hunters, John Mattera and John Chatterton, who descend upon the Dominican Republic in search of the pirate Joseph Bannister's ship, the Golden Fleece. In a battle against two British war ships, the Golden Fleece went down in 1687, where it has rested in peace ever since. Author Rober Pirate Hunters is more than just "the search for the lost treasure ship of a great buccaneer," it's history, biography, and psychology rolled into one page-turning tale. Ostensibly, this is the story of two treasure hunters, John Mattera and John Chatterton, who descend upon the Dominican Republic in search of the pirate Joseph Bannister's ship, the Golden Fleece. In a battle against two British war ships, the Golden Fleece went down in 1687, where it has rested in peace ever since. Author Robert Kurson uses the natural story lines built by hunters racing other hunters for one of the most elusive of prizes, a genuine pirate wreck (records for pirate ships were not kept by pirates and their sympathizers, making finds all the more challenging).

In addition to the history propelled by the mystery, the false starts necessary to reach an actual strike, and the underwater (and above) descriptions built for suspense, the author stops the narrative to explore the background of both treasure hunters -- Chatterton's as a medic who risked his life repeatedly in Vietnam, and Mattera's as a boy growing up as part of the New York crime families network in the 60s and 70s. Both are diverting tales, though the reader, appetite whetted, longs to get back to the Dominican and the hunt for a great pirate ship.

Also leavening the narratives are historical accounts of Joseph Bannister, the British captain turned rogue (and how often does THAT happen?) who took on his countrymen and fought them to a draw against incredible odds. For readers, the derring will do nicely and the reading is pitched once it comes to Bannister. Kurson also takes time to educate readers on pirates, on their love for democracy far in advance of any Founding Fathers, on their strict system of "justice" despite an undeniable love for money, liquor, and women.

For instance, neither "Aarghhh!" nor "Shiver me timbers!" were ever uttered by pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1720). Instead, they were the invention of 1950s movie screenwriters. Among invocations the real pirates said: "Eat what falls from my tail!" "Damn your blood!" "I'll cleave your skull asunder!" "I'll cut you in pound pieces!" and "I come from hell and I'll carry you there presently!"

There's also an interesting ledger of what pirates were compensated for body parts lost while in brave battle: e.g. 600 pieces of silver or six slaves for a lost right arm, 500 pieces of silver or five slaves for a lost left arm, 100 pieces of silver or one slave for a lost eye or lost finger, etc. There were also set punishments onboard for stealing from a ship's plunder, cheating fellow pirates, sneaking a woman on board (trouble!), cowardice, insolence, disobedience, or anything else impeding the ship's primary purpose -- to steal (and spend as quickly as possible, for as Kurson points out, buried treasure is another myth and would be considered laughable to "spend it today, if not yesterday" pirates of the time).

So go ahead, indulge the kid (or Capt. Kidd) in yourself. Read a rip-roaring tale about a real pirate who's little known and deserves to be better known. Yes, on small occasion the narrative waters grow choppy and slow, but for the most part the sailing is so smooth that Roger and most everyone else will grow Jolly reading it. ...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Christine rated it liked it

Shelves: journalism, adventure, history

This book ultimately frustrated me. I really enjoyed the chronicle of searching for the ship, the story of Bannister and the backstory of both the men at the center of the story. But what has stuck in my mind since finishing are the things that were frankly unnecessary to the story or seemed shoe horned in.

There are several times that the author and men make rather objectifying statements about women, which may have been said, but really didn't need to be included in the book. It only added to t ...more

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Jun 24, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

This was a really enjoyable and quick read. It’s part biography part history. It tells the story on how a team of divers discovered the wreck of the Golden Fleece, using a combination of research and technology, and the struggles they faced along the way.

The Golden Fleece is the ship that belonged to Joseph Bannister, infamous English Gentleman turned pirate. So we get a few different stories in this book. The story of how the wreck was found, the stories behind the men who found it, and the his ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 Joy D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, history, non-fiction, north-america, adventure, maritime, zck, reviewed

True story of the search for the pirate ship Golden Fleece near shores of current-day Dominican Republic. In 1684, Captain Joseph Bannister abandoned his career as an English merchant captain, stole the ship, and became a pirate. The Royal Navy tracked him down and sank his ship in 1686. In 2008, celebrated wreck-divers John Chatterton and John Mattera teamed up with treasure hunter Tracy Bowden to search for the ship and recover its cargo.

I particularly enjoyed the history of the era and the m ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 Whitney rated it it was amazing

“This is the greatest pirate story ever...And no one knows about it.”

Just read this for a second time and absolutely loved it! Amazing characters, history, adventure, SCUBA diving, and all focused on one of the greatest pirate stories of all time. Loved everything about this book and highly recommend.

Summary: John Chatterton and John Mattera are legends in the field of SCUBA diving and deep wreck salvaging who come together for the most epic quest of their lifetime; to discover a long lost pira ...more

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Jul 24, 2015 Perry rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

Caribbean Booty Call: The Quest for the Golden Fleece
[4.5 stars]

'Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call,
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall.
You've seen it all, you've seen it all....'

J. Buffett, "A Pirate Looks at Forty."

I've loved Jimmy Buffett's serenade to a pirate's life since my first trip to Key West and out into the Caribbean; it's a treasure for revelry of trips south and youthful daydreams of life one day on a small Caribbean island. Arrr, what jewels and go ...more

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May 26, 2015 Karen R rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I suspected after reading the first chapter that this true story would be extraordinary, following in the footsteps of one of my favorite books of 2004, Shadow Divers. And it was. What a great adventure!

This is an obsessive and all-consuming quest by renowned scuba diver John Chatterton and John Mattera to find the greatest pirate ship that ever sailed, the Golden Fleece. The story of this hugely expensive and once in a lifetime deep-sea discovery is filled with suspense, risk, frustration, exh ...more

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Apr 24, 2015 Bob Schnell rated it liked it

Shelves: general-non-fiction, read-in-2015, history

Advanced Reading Copy review Due to be published June 16, 2015

"Pirate Hunters" by Robert Kurson is kind of a sequel to his break-out book "Shadow Divers" about the discovery and identifying of a sunken German U-Boat. The new book continues the exploits of adventure diver John Chatterton as he is now on the trail of the pirate Joseph Bannister and his ship Golden Fleece.

Because underwater treasure hunts can be brutally tedious, the author fills the pages with biographies of the major players, a ...more

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Aug 15, 2015 Fritz Schneider rated it it was ok

I feel like Kurson hired a 14-year-old boy to ghostwrite this book for him. Huh huh, grown men snuggling. That's FUNNY! The writing is repetitive and longwinded, and characters are one-dimensional comic book renderings of what I assume are real people. The former gangster! The fiercely independent millionaire! The eminent elder statesman of the craft *who isn't as smart as he thinks he is!* The heroes (for no doubt that's what they are) buck the system and through street smarts (those academics ...more

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Jun 22, 2015 Cynthia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-read-in-2015

I’ve never been fascinated by pirates but after reading Kurson “Pirate Hunters” that’s changed. I am interested in history and Kurson brings lots of that alive in “Pirate Hunters” specifically the history of the golden age of Piracy in the 17th century around Hispaniola (now known as Santo Domingo). At that time it was a Spanish colony but the French and English were there in abundance as well for the lucrative trade opportunities. And where lots are goods are being moved you’ll find those who w ...more

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Sep 22, 2015 Susanna - Censored by GoodReads rated it really liked it

My copy courtesy Random House/Net Galley - much thanks!

Covers both the search for a pirate ship from the "golden age of piracy" (roughly 1650-1720) off of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean, but also the pasts of the main searchers, from Vietnam to the fringes of the mafia, and the lives of the pirates.

The vessel being hunted is the Golden Fleece, which fought off two Royal Navy frigates which grossly out-manned and out-gunned it, though it sank in doing it, in 1686. Finding a bona fide pirate wrec ...more

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May 21, 2020 Howard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobooks, favorite, biography

5 Stars for Pirate Hunters (audiobook) by Robert Kurson read by Ray Porter. This such an wonderful story. It’s like a Clive Cussler novel but it’s all real. The backgrounds of the characters are amazing. If this book was fiction they would seem over the top but that’s the kind of people it takes to complete an expedition like this. The narration was great. Ray Porter is the perfect voice for this story.

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Feb 09, 2016 Brandi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: extra-espresso, a-nice-light-roast-coffee

When I found Pirate Hunters listed on my library website, I knew I had to read it. The story of two divers finding a lost pirate ship? Yes, please.

As I'd hoped, I learned a great deal about pirating from this book. Among some of the interesting facts I found were that:
- some pirate crew members would disguise themselves as women to remain inconspicuous until the ships they preyed on came closer
- they didn't actually make prisoners walk the plank - that's just in movies; but they did love parrots ...more

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Jan 30, 2016 Steve rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Did you grow up waiting for Jacques Cousteau's weekly TV show to expose you to a slice of the world explored aboard the legendary Calypso that seemed so strange, so remarkable, so colorful it was hard to believe it was real? [It's pretty wild to remember a time when this color-rich experience might be preceded or followed by black-and-white re-runs.] If so, you'll enjoy this book (although, as noted below, the author's prior work is even better).

Having been totally bowled over, nay, blown away, Did you grow up waiting for Jacques Cousteau's weekly TV show to expose you to a slice of the world explored aboard the legendary Calypso that seemed so strange, so remarkable, so colorful it was hard to believe it was real? [It's pretty wild to remember a time when this color-rich experience might be preceded or followed by black-and-white re-runs.] If so, you'll enjoy this book (although, as noted below, the author's prior work is even better).

Having been totally bowled over, nay, blown away, by Kurson's Shadow Divers a number of years ago, I knew I'd have to read this. I feared, however, that I'd be disappointed and, in all honesty, I didn't find this one quite as captivating as Shadow Divers, but it's not a fair comparison. This is an engaging, entertaining book, even if Shadow Divers was better.

The history and research angle of this book - with visits to little-used, unique collections in far flung libraries - is pretty gratifying, and, in many ways, it's the archival search that drives the story. Conversely, the diving seemed incidental, in large part because the water wasn't that deep and, ultimately, this story isn't really about diving....

And my guess is that readers will react differently to Kurson's intermittent chapters profiling the key players in the drama. At times they felt (to me) like diversions and fillers, while at other points I found the personal histories every bit as compelling as the search for the pirate ship.

Given what he had to work with, Kurson did about as well as he could converting a slow-moving, laborious, methodical investigation into an at-least-somewhat dramatic yarn. (Despite Kurson's best efforts, it's hard to correlate this with the Johnny Depp Pirates of the Carribean movie series. Instead, think Nicolas Cage in National Treasure without the chase scenes, romance, music, action, etc.) I'm guessing it's necessary to sell books and garner attention, but the drama/tension aspect never really resonated with me.

In other words, there's just less epic stuff in this book than readers enjoyed in Shadow Divers. That doesn't mean it's not interesting, and, maybe, if you haven't read Shadow Divers, your expectations might not be as high. (OK, OK, a significant percentage of the modern story feels like its Shadow Divers leftovers or spillover....) Still, the cumulative effort, the total package, was interesting, informative, and sufficiently gratifying to justify the time and effort. ...more

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Jul 25, 2019 Laura Noggle rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, nonfiction, history

*If an undertaking was easy, someone else already would have done it.*

Was hoping for more pirates, less doldrums. Lots of extraneous filler content.

But where are the pirates?

I guess that's the question.

Enjoyed Shadow Divers and Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon more. ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 SheLove2Read rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

A rousing treasure hunt for pirates! I really enjoyed this true tale of two adventurous men who take on the project of locating a pirate ship that sank in the waters of the Dominican Republic. From start to finish, I found myself enthralled with not only the search for the famed Golden Fleece, but the backstory of the two men who took on what turned out to be the find of a lifetime. Highly recommend if you enjoy archaeology and history, ship hunter tales, or are just in need of a rousing adventu ...more

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Mar 10, 2015 Dorine rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: historial and adventure fans of non-fiction

Shelves: ebooks-kindle, non-fiction, historical, ebooks-to-read, adventure, travel, pirates

Original review posted at The Zest Quest, a lifestyle site celebrating my quest for a zestful life.

Seventeenth century pirates could elicit not only fear in their wake but instill cooperation without firing a shot, just by their reputation shared by survivors. I have always been intrigued by pirates so PIRATE HUNTERS grabbed my attention just by the name, but when I realized it also included seventeenth century history, I was ready to dive in.

This book begins with an author’s note which gives th Original review posted at The Zest Quest, a lifestyle site celebrating my quest for a zestful life.

Seventeenth century pirates could elicit not only fear in their wake but instill cooperation without firing a shot, just by their reputation shared by survivors. I have always been intrigued by pirates so PIRATE HUNTERS grabbed my attention just by the name, but when I realized it also included seventeenth century history, I was ready to dive in.

This book begins with an author’s note which gives the reader a synopsis of what’s to come by describing a meeting with John Chatterton and John Mattera, the two main players in this story. Their quest to find the ship of Joseph Bannister, a seventeenth century pirate who opposed the British Navy in an epic battle that he won, has been rife with adventure and mystery, some of which is still unresolved today. PIRATE HUNTERS follows these adventurers on a journey of a lifetime, taking them back into history before they find the truth about Joseph Bannister.

John Chatterton and John Mattera are each famous in their own right as divers. Finding their own treasure is something they’re about to do when they get a call from a man they admire. They join Tracy Bowden, a legend in treasure hunting, when he requests their help. He tells them a story about an English sea captain who went rogue and became a notorious pirate. Why would a successful sea captain with an impeccable record toss it all away to become a pirate? Countries are outlawing private salvaging so will this team find their treasure before it’s taken from them by competitors or the government? These are just two of the many interesting questions answered in this true story that reads like a novel.

I read the first quarter of this book fairly fast but then got hung up and slowed down for several chapters. There is a tremendous amount of detail about each person’s life prior to this treasure hunt and I was impatient to get to the pirates. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish this book until I got to a section that described a connection to the mob and the pace picked up. After that, I zoomed through to the end of the novel.

Fair warning – there are some gory details of piracy that may affect the most squeamish of readers, but it’s important to understand the lifestyle that led to these acts. Pirates were once used to keep some countries from profiting in trade. When trade agreements were made, pirates became the hunted.

What I admire most about this book is the commitment of the treasure hunting team and their families, as well as the dedication of Robert Kurson to be able to put their story into a readable format. The amount of research, the years spent and the hours of interviews by all parties proves their love of solving a mystery. It’s not just their love of the treasure but their love of the hunt and the history behind it all that gives them the clues to find lost sunken ships. I have such admiration for that kind of dedication.

PIRATE HUNTERS is a fantastic story of modern day treasure hunters who have to rely on history and intuition to guide them. If you love a good hunt, for financial treasure or for history revealed through research, then I recommend you read PIRATE HUNTERS. Anyone this devoted to their dream deserves an award for their efforts. The cost alone could scare many, as well as the dangerous situations faced, but the years of devotion have given me a whole new respect for those in this story who followed their dream as far as it would take them.

Reviewed by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley. ...more

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Mar 18, 2015 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: first-reads, e-books-library

What an enjoyable and fascinating book! I didn't know a lot about marine divers and hunters before this book but I feel like I walked away having learned a lot about the industry. The book did a great job of mixing the history of Joseph Bannister, who became a pirate in the Golden Age, with the true events of two men searching for his ship The Golden Fleece. They did an incredible amount of research to uncover the battle that went down and the potential areas the ship could have sank in. You don ...more

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May 30, 2015 Mark Watkins rated it it was amazing

“If you like pirates, meet me in New Jersey”.

With that, Kurson is off to meet John Chatterton and John Mattera, world class divers and treasure hunters, who are chasing the ghost of Joseph Bannister, one of the legendary (but real) pirates of the Caribbean, and his ship the Golden Fleece. Only one documented pirate ship has ever been found – the Whydah, off the coast of Cape Cod.

Kurson does a great job not just of telling the tale of the search for the Golden Fleece, but of taking you inside the “If you like pirates, meet me in New Jersey”.

With that, Kurson is off to meet John Chatterton and John Mattera, world class divers and treasure hunters, who are chasing the ghost of Joseph Bannister, one of the legendary (but real) pirates of the Caribbean, and his ship the Golden Fleece. Only one documented pirate ship has ever been found – the Whydah, off the coast of Cape Cod.

Kurson does a great job not just of telling the tale of the search for the Golden Fleece, but of taking you inside the world of treasure hunters and paying homage to the grand old men of the industry. Tracy Bowden owns the lease rights for treasure hunting in the Dominican Republic (or Hispaniola as the pirates knew it). He’s got a lead on the shipwreck site, but is too old to chase it, and Chatterton & Mattera are masters of the new technology-driven world of ship finding. He brings in Chatterton and Mattera to go after it. On their first visit to his house, Chatterton takes a break to go to the bathroom. Upon walking into the bathroom he finds a bathtub full of “pieces of eight”, spanish silver coins. The bathtub has about 5 million dollars worth of treasure in it. Throughout the hunt for the Golden Fleece, the partners visit other legendary treasure hunters to seek advice or information, some humble men worth millions and others flashy.

Chatterton and Mattera are just about to launch on a search for the San Bartolomé, after years of prep. But the lure of finding a true pirate ship is too strong. They abandon their quest for the San Bartolomé and they’re off to the Dominican in search of the Golden Fleece.

Kurson does an admirable of job of weaving the history of pirates into the book, including interesting diversions such as how limbs were amputated after battle (turns out in that era, being in the Navy was probably the best place to have an amputation done as they were the best at it). And he visits many historical sites such as the museum in Key West were one of only two remaining original Jolly Roger flags is kept.

He also explores the details and dangers of deep sea diving and treasure hunting. Chatterton and Mattera are both larger-than-life figures. Chatterton is a long time diver, TV host, Vietnam war medic, and treasure hunter, while Mattera grew up rough-and-tumble, dancing on the edge of organized crime in New Jersey (he knew many top figures in the Gambino crime family, but escaped the life to become first a policeman, then a celebrity bodyguard, and then a commercial diver). Kurston brings them and their story to life in a way that would make a great movie. There’s the exciting bits, the ambush in the Dominican where gunfire is exchanged, and the quiet parts, talking to old fishermen and doing research reading ship’s logs and newspaper articles in an off-the-beaten path library in Seville, Spain – a real life Da Vinci code scene. Pirate Hunters has so many twists, turns, false starts and crazy discoveries, it would make an amazing work of fiction or movie, yet it’s all true.

At the heart of their attempt to find the shipwreck is the mystery of Joseph Bannister – a career captain and pilot, highly successful and trusted. But one day, he “went pirate”. History is silent on why such a highly respected, successful captain would do such a thing. If you think it sounds like an episode of Black Sails, you’re not far wrong. Mattera ultimately develops a theory for what happened to Bannister, and, without giving anything away, this theory ultimately becomes a major turning point in their quest.

Pirate Hunters is a fantastic book. I read it in one sitting and I’m not sure I took a break. It’s about pirates and history and the thrill of the chase, but ultimately it’s about chasing your dreams and not settling for the easy way in life. Chatterton and Mattera almost give up more than once, and could easily be doing other things for less effort and more money, but they nearly sacrifice everything in their quest.

(ps: I love a book that points you to other great books. Pirate Hunters is a winner here too: Kurson points me to The Buccaneers of America, an amazing first-person contemporary account of Pirates. You can get the book for free online. The Library of Congress has also made an extremely interesting online version of the original book in Dutch with wonderful illustrations. It’s too cool, check it out: http://www.loc.gov/flash/pagebypage/b...)

(I received a copy of Pirate Hunters through LibraryThing’s wonderful Early Reviewers program, in exchange for a review. ) ...more

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Aug 14, 2017 Mark Stevens rated it really liked it

Shiver me timbers, another terrific non-fiction book about a grueling, exhausting search for a piece of history. Last time it was Douglas Preston’s "The Lost City of The Monkey God," uncovering a hidden archaeological gem in Honduras. This time, it’s a search underwater for the Golden Fleece, a ship that belonged to the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister.

Bottom line: "Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for A Legendary Pirate Ship" is fascinating.

Okay, that ‘shiver me timbers’ thin Shiver me timbers, another terrific non-fiction book about a grueling, exhausting search for a piece of history. Last time it was Douglas Preston’s "The Lost City of The Monkey God," uncovering a hidden archaeological gem in Honduras. This time, it’s a search underwater for the Golden Fleece, a ship that belonged to the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister.

Bottom line: "Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for A Legendary Pirate Ship" is fascinating.

Okay, that ‘shiver me timbers’ thing? Pirates never said it. They also never said ‘Arrgh.’

Pirate prisoners did not walk the plank. “They found it easier to kill a man by hacking him with a sword or shooting him—and then throwing him overboard, no theatrics required,” writes Robert Kurson.

They never buried treasure or made maps leading to it. They spent their money—and spent it fast. Parrots? Yes. They taught their parrots to talk. They kept them as pets. Hook arms and wooden legs? Yes and yes. Both were used as prosthetics. Eye patches, too, to cover empty sockets.

But these are breezy asides in a tale of a dogged search led by John Chatterton and John Mattera. The search requires analysis on the water, in the water, and good old-fashioned puzzle-solving. It also requires creative thinking, the ability to see island landscapes and imagine how a pirate might have viewed the spot as place to hide or to careen a ship (the process of using tides to beach a ship so the hull can be cleaned or repaired). It also required a ton of patience and a ton of money, as Kurson makes clear.

If you think such requirements for a search attract normal, even-keeled (ha) searchers, you’d be wrong. Chatterton and Mattera are out-sized personalities and Kurson devotes a chapter to each of their larger-than-life personalities and life stories. Chatterton’s background, particularly with his connections to Sept. 11, 2001, is compelling stuff. (Chatterton saw the second plane hit.)

As others have pointed out, Kurson’s "Shadow Divers" was excellent. Pirate Hunters doesn’t quite have the same level of drama or tension. (Nor does it have the death toll associated with that search, which also featured Chatterton.) But Kurson keeps "Pirate Hunters" in a swift current. We know the search around Samaná Bay (Dominican Republic) will find its target. The question is how. And what proof will clinch the deal?

Pirate Joseph Bannister is the other major character in this account and Kurson brings him to life. Bannister began his career as a well-respected English merchant sea captain on the profitable trade route between London and Jamaica. The Golden Fleece was his ship and he was making the trek back and forth perhaps twice a year. The owners of the ship “must have had great faith in Bannister—every cargo was worth a fortunate, the Golden Fleece many times more.”

The Golden Fleece was “impressively large,” nearing 100 feet long and carrying as many as 28 cannons, “roughly equal in size and power to a small Royal Navy warship. A pirate who chose to attack her did so at his peril.”

In 1684, however, Bannister turned pirate. He stole the Golden Fleece. His career lasted, the first time, for six weeks. He was captured and put on trial in the rough-and-tumble world of Port Royal. No spoilers here on this subplot; Bannister’s pickle and the legal machinations and the ensuing chase would make Jack Sparrow smile.

Fun book. I learned a lot about pirates—and what kind of mettle (and money) it takes for wreck divers to find famous ships buried under the sea. Arrgh. ...more

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Jul 25, 2015 Luke Schwiebert rated it it was ok

This feels like a subject that would work better as an article (or perhaps a series of articles) than a full book. It starts off tantalizing, with the exciting promise of our explorers discovering something amazing, as well as a really cool chapter discussing the career of the pirate captain they're searching for, but after that, things kind of fall off the rails. There's lots of meandering and false starts (an inevitable problem with real exploration, which can't follow any plot structure), and ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Jenne rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, nonfiction

Pirate treasure hunters! They are super badass macho guys! They risk their lives to follow a dream! It's all sort of compelling! But also sort of pointless! ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Marilee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, arc, armchair-adventuring

I'm a big fan of Kurson's previous book, Shadow Divers, also a tale of searching shipwrecks for a specific kind of treasure, historical information and identity. Both books feature the famous wreck diver, John Chatterton. However, the Shadow Divers found a WW2 German sub off the shores of New Jersey, which were different kinds of "pirates" than those searched for in this new book, Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession,
I'm a big fan of Kurson's previous book, Shadow Divers, also a tale of searching shipwrecks for a specific kind of treasure, historical information and identity. Both books feature the famous wreck diver, John Chatterton. However, the Shadow Divers found a WW2 German sub off the shores of New Jersey, which were different kinds of "pirates" than those searched for in this new book, Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship

There is only one other verified pirate ship wreck that has been discovered up to now, the Waydah, found off Cape Cod in 1984. I've visited a museum on the Cape dedicated to artifacts and lore about that find. Yes, I admit to having a keen interest in pirates, from long before the silly Depp films. Pirate ships of the so called golden age of piracy, of 17th century, generally preyed on merchant and treasure ships, often as privateers with "papers" from the French and English governments. They were definitely the scourge of the Spanish fleets sailing home with riches from the new world.

However, genuine pirate ships often just disappeared, their fate unknown. What we mostly hear about being discovered by salvers ancient and modern are treasure ships that may have sunk in storms or been sunk by enemies, including pirates. Several very rich finds have been made in recent times, but pirate ships.. ah, the elusive stuff of legends. There are several reasons for their scarcity, including a lack of written record as to their fates, changed names of ships, quick turnover by pirates who went from captured ship to captured ship. They couldn't exactly take a damaged ship to a convenient repair shop… mostly when they were damaged, they were scuttled, no one knows where. Treasure and merchant ships were often well documented, hence a lot was known of their movements.

Chatterton and his partner, John Mattera, both commercial wreck divers of some fame, were preparing to find and salvage a treasure ship off the coast of the Dominican Republic when they heard about a relatively unknown, but intriguing pirate, Capt. Joseph Bannister, who supposedly lost his ship, the Golden Fleece, on the north side of the DR. They went into partnership with another famous wreck diver, Tracy Bowden.Thus began the years long quest to find the ship. This book is about their efforts. I won't spoil things by telling you whether or not they were successful.

Basically, the book is about the men and their friends and family and what's involved in the quest. Chatterton and Mattera are both keen on gaining knowledge, less so perhaps than treasure, though that certainly wouldn't be unwelcome. It's expensive and very dangerous to hunt for underwater wrecks. Between research trips, boats, diving, more research, money woes, political and rival interference and personal difficulties, wreck hunting is an undertaking requiring dedication, strong wills and a lot of money. Things will go wrong. Missteps will be taken. There's plenty of danger and also inevitable discouragement. And sometimes, with all that work and some luck, amazing discoveries are possible.

I received an advance readers copy of this book in return for an honest review. ...more

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About Robert Kurson

Robert Kurson

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Robert Kurson is an American author, best known for his bestselling book, "Shadow Divers," the true story of two Americans who discover a sunken World War II German U-boat and for "Crashing Through," the story of an entrepreneur who regains his eyesight after a lifetime of blindness.

Kurson began his career as an attorney, graduating from Harvard Law School and practicing real estate law. His profe ...more

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“If an undertaking was easy, someone else already would have done it. – If you follow in another’s footsteps, you miss the problems really worth solving. – Excellence is born of preparation, dedication, focus, and tenacity; compromise on any of these and you become average. – Every so often, life presents a great moment of decision, an intersection at which a man must decide to stop or go; a person lives” — 7 likes

“—Examine everything; not all is as it seems or as people tell you.” — 4 likes

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