$500M Treasure Ship Found In Atlantic
Deep-sea explorers said Friday they have mined what could be the richest shipwreck treasure in history, bringing home 17 tons of colonial-era silver and gold coins from an undisclosed site in the Atlantic Ocean. Estimated value: $500 million.
A jet chartered by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration landed in the United States recently with hundreds of plastic containers brimming with coins raised from the ocean floor, Odyssey co-chairman Greg Stemm said. The more than 500,000 pieces are expected to fetch an average of $1,000 each from collectors and investors.
"For this colonial era, I think (the find) is unprecedented," said rare coin expert Nick Bruyer, who examined a batch of coins from the wreck. "I don't know of anything equal or comparable to it."
Citing security concerns, the company declined to release any details about the ship or the wreck site Friday. Stemm said a formal announcement will come later, but court records indicate the coins might come from a 400-year-old ship found off England.
Because the shipwreck was found in a lane where many colonial-era vessels went down, there is still some uncertainty about its nationality, size and age, Stemm said, although evidence points to a specific known shipwreck. The site is beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country, he said.
"Rather than a shout of glee, it's more being able to exhale for the first time in a long time," Stemm said of the haul, by far the biggest in Odyssey's 13-year history.
He wouldn't say if the loot was taken from the same wreck site near the English Channel that Odyssey recently petitioned a federal court for permission to salvage.
In seeking exclusive rights to that site, an Odyssey attorney told a federal judge last fall that the company likely had found the remains of a 17th-century merchant vessel that sank with valuable cargo aboard, about 40 miles off the southwestern tip of England. A judge signed an order granting those rights last month.
In keeping with the secretive nature of the project dubbed "Black Swan," Odyssey also isn't talking yet about the types, denominations and country of origin of the coins.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A jet chartered by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration landed in the United States recently with hundreds of plastic containers brimming with coins raised from the ocean floor, Odyssey co-chairman Greg Stemm said. The more than 500,000 pieces are expected to fetch an average of $1,000 each from collectors and investors.
"For this colonial era, I think (the find) is unprecedented," said rare coin expert Nick Bruyer, who examined a batch of coins from the wreck. "I don't know of anything equal or comparable to it."
Citing security concerns, the company declined to release any details about the ship or the wreck site Friday. Stemm said a formal announcement will come later, but court records indicate the coins might come from a 400-year-old ship found off England.
Because the shipwreck was found in a lane where many colonial-era vessels went down, there is still some uncertainty about its nationality, size and age, Stemm said, although evidence points to a specific known shipwreck. The site is beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country, he said.
"Rather than a shout of glee, it's more being able to exhale for the first time in a long time," Stemm said of the haul, by far the biggest in Odyssey's 13-year history.
He wouldn't say if the loot was taken from the same wreck site near the English Channel that Odyssey recently petitioned a federal court for permission to salvage.
In seeking exclusive rights to that site, an Odyssey attorney told a federal judge last fall that the company likely had found the remains of a 17th-century merchant vessel that sank with valuable cargo aboard, about 40 miles off the southwestern tip of England. A judge signed an order granting those rights last month.
In keeping with the secretive nature of the project dubbed "Black Swan," Odyssey also isn't talking yet about the types, denominations and country of origin of the coins.
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Also that some countries goverments still have slave like laws.
Furthermore, A law should be implemented which allows for all to share in the bounty!
William Wilberforce. Read about him - he wasnt bloody french or American! When Britain abolished Slavery we were proactive - we waged war on everyone! sinking french portugese spanish and american ships or anyone engaged in those awful activities. Oh and by the way the Arabs were big into slavery centuries ago and still are! and in West Africa, black tribesmen fetched their own countrymen to ports to sell! We didnt have to go looking! The world was no different then than it is now -still driven by greed and the Black man as guilty as the White.
And a good job too. otherwise you lot wouldnt have this Forum to bleat away on.
I am sick of listening to these so called victims of British colonialism - were they there?
The world got a great and good deal from our little country and still is! So get a life and read a few books you ungreatfull set of knuckle dragging whingers or we might just bring Slavery back! Remember WW2 It was an expensive little shindig and Great Britain paid the bill and fought alone untill the USA decided to get off the fence-nudged by deals that would bankrupt Britain. The history you were taught at school was Propaganda - not the truth. post war Britain was poverty struck whilst the USA dined out in style on the stolen wealth of a nation.
In reading lies knowledge - but only if you read the right books.
%u201CHistoric agreement%u201D What a Mafioso idea!
You should melt those and give to the looted countries as well as to those Africans that you had massacred %u2013 as well as to the others you ever robbed around the world through the %u201Crich%u201D history of the Empire of the Crown.
I do not understand all of the cursing and nasty personal attacks on this discussion.
Why do any of you take things personally and attack each other personally?
I come on this to learn objectively different people's thoughts and information on the topic. Anyone who wants to discuss the slavery issues has their rights without prejudicial and racist comments along with all of the vulgarity involved.
Each person is deserving of their own opinions without being personally attacked by ridiculously immature people who play games with the keyboard to overcome the blocks placed on the board to protect it from the abuse of vulagity and cursing.
People who do this will certainly destroy the great privledge many of us enjoy of being able to post our ideas by playing these games. CBS has already felt the need to take away the capability for many of us to post to some topics - it may come to the point where they cannot continue with these boards because of the people who enjoy taking away any of the protections they try to design to protect it from the abuse the few of you have done especially with this topic.
Dang! Why didn't I find that! I was just fishing that spot and got a snag on my line, thought it was just a boot. That treasure should be mine!!