April 12, 2019   DATELINE: Jerusalem, Arkansas    The Passing of Bruce Ward.

Last week, we were contacted by an auction house requesting our assistance in organizing and identifying items in an estate that they were asked to handle. After a brief discussion with a gentleman from the auction house it became apparent that they had many items from the 1715 Fleet. Upon further inquiry I asked the name of the person whose estate they were asked to handle. To my great surprise I was told it was Bruce Ward. For those who may not recognize his name, Bruce Ward was at one time a central figure in the early history of 1715 Fleet salvage operations. He  along with two companions, Don Neiman and Frank Allen, actually entered into an agreement with the Real Eight CompanyAlso referred to occasionally as “The Real 8 Company”- was incorporated in 1961. It had eight members….Kip Wagner, Kip Kelso, Dan Thompson, Harry Cannon, Lou Ullian, Del Long, Erv Taylor and Lis... More to salvage a wreck site that they found near Fort Pierce. They did not have the manpower or the equipment necessary to salvage the wreck that they had found, so that is why they teamed up with the Real Eight CompanyAlso referred to occasionally as “The Real 8 Company”- was incorporated in 1961. It had eight members….Kip Wagner, Kip Kelso, Dan Thompson, Harry Cannon, Lou Ullian, Del Long, Erv Taylor and Lis... More. As a result of this association, Bruce Ward indirectly helped to launch the career of another, more widely recognized salvager of shipwrecks, Mel Fisher.

There is a lot to the Bruce Ward story that needs to be told. But, that will be saved for a later post. For now, we will be updating everyone about the treasure of Bruce Ward. Once I get authority from the auction house, I will be providing more specifics. I can say that the estate contains gold coins, many silver coins, artifacts and much more. It will be a very exciting auction. We are pleased that we have been asked to help provide information regarding the contents of the estate and be a key contributor to the history of these artifacts and the story of how Bruce Ward came to be involved with one of the greatest treasure hunts in history.

Ben Costello, Director