E. Lee Spence was hurt while looking for treasure.
Part II continued from Part I
Dr. E. Lee Spence has learned throughout the course of his 60-year career as a treasure hunter that it may be a risky game. Spence has been shot once and has been stabbed twice in a life that reads more like an adventure tale than a respectable line of employment. That's the price you pay for being a pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology and a well-known treasure hunter.
He made his first finding quickly. Spence discovered several antique coins and five distinct shipwrecks when he was 12 years old. Of course, this came after he created his own scuba gear. Spence became dependent on the pleasure of finding hidden wealth after that. When he was just a youngster, he hired his pals to assist in salvaging ships that had sunk, allowing him to spread the addiction to those closest to him. According to Spence (via Vice), he has unearthed antiques valued at over $100 million and a wealth of adventure tales that make his life unbelievably thrilling.
The H.L. Hunley's discovery in the 1970s is one of Spence's legacy discoveries. The Hunley, which had been missing since 1874, was the first submarine in history to sink an enemy vessel. The history of submarines is true. Spence didn't unearth this particular piece of history; instead, someone else did. Spence would lose his claim to the ship as a result of the statute of limitations in a subsequent legal dispute in the 1990s.