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Recovered treasure came from Spanish shipwreck
MADRID: Odyssey Marine Exploration, the U.S. treasure hunter, has acknowledged that it recovered more than 11,000 Spanish gold and silver coins as part of its much-publicized haul from a shipwreck whose ownership is being challenged by Spain, court papers show.
Britain has given Spain copies of two export licenses that Odyssey officials filed with the Gibraltar government detailing the booty it shipped out to the United States on two private transport planes. The treasure was flown to New York on April 10 and May 14.
The Spanish government filed the export licenses late Wednesday with U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, where Spain is challenging Odyssey’s petitions to exclusive salvage rights on three shipwreck sites that the company said it discovered this year in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Besides the 10,800 silver and 203 gold coins, Odyssey told the Gibraltar customs authorities that it also brought to the surface three gold boxes; copper, tin and bronze ingots; a cannonball; and a bronze pulley wheel.
It estimated the value of the trove at $1.49 million.
In its application for the second export license, Odyssey said it was transporting “557 plastic buckets containing clumps of encrusted silver coins” and four copper ingots now worth an estimated $2.5 million.
The Tampa company made international headlines when it announced in May that it had recovered more than 500,000 silver coins from a shipwreck it discovered in the Atlantic.
But until now, Odyssey has declined to say where it had found the ship to prevent ransacking by other treasure-hunters and speculation about the value of the coins.
Spain claims it has a right to any of its historical property under international law.
It has demanded that Odyssey release the details of its findings to determine whether it should continue to pursue ownership.
The legal battle came to a head this summer when the Spanish Civil Guard boarded Odyssey’s ship Ocean Alert as it left Gibraltar after a Spanish judge issued a search warrant.
James Goold, a lawyer who is representing Spain, said “that from the start of this action Odyssey has concealed information required by” the court and “continues to do so now.”
He asked a federal judge to dismiss Odyssey’s salvage-right claims on all three shipwrecks, arguing also that the district court did not have jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to decide what rightfully belongs to Spain.
Odyssey said that the treasure was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean about 180 nautical miles west of Gibraltar.
It had code-named the shipwreck the Black Swan, but some Spanish historians say they believe it may be the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which was sunk by a British fleet off the coast of Portugal in 1804.
“Nothing recovered to date from the subject unidentified shipwreck vessel confirms an interest in the artifacts of any third party including the Kingdom of Spain,” Allen von Spiegelfeld, a lawyer for Odyssey, told a judge last month.
Spain is challenging ownership on the three shipwreck sites discovered by Odyssey this year, including a passenger ship that sunk off the coast of Sardinia in 1915 and a vessel it found about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Lands End, Britain.
Spain asked that the court, if it denies its motion, require Odyssey to fully disclose the information it has on all three shipwreck sites.
A judge has given both sides until next month to come up with deadlines for future filings.
Related posts:
- British-Spanish relations tough over treasure fight
- US court ruling keeps location of shipwreck treasure secret
- Genuine Shipwreck Treasure to be Auctioned by Sedwick
- Sea Search Armada Seeks Rights to 1708 Shipwreck and Treasure Coins Worth $17 Billion
- Judge tells Spain, treasure firm to agree on sharing information
- Ruling Allows Odyssey Shipwreck Cases to Move Forward
- Big business of deep-sea treasure hunters
- Judge: Explorers will share shipwreck details with Spain
- Sedwick Auction To Feature Shipwreck Treasure, Gold Cobs and World Coins
- Spain seizes U.S. treasure boat near Gibraltar
LOURDES CUADRA | Oct 17, 2007 | Reply
BRAVO TO SPAIN. SOMEONE HAS TO CHALLENGE AMERICAN CULTURAL THIEVES. LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO IRAQ.
admin | Oct 17, 2007 | Reply
Oh really? So where do you suppose all of that Gold and Silver originally came from? Have you ever considered that the native peoples of Central and South America might have a much more legitimate claim to this Treasure than the Spanish Government, since Spain stole it from them in the first place!
History is a beautiful thing isn’t it!
Also, You have to be kidding to try to interject Iraq into this. Virtually all of the “cultural items” stolen in Iraq were stolen by Iraqi’s and sold in Europe.
It is great to have an opinion, but your argument would be much better if it was backed up by facts.
SpaceRat | Jan 25, 2008 | Reply
Bravo to Odyssey Marine Exploration! Someone has to challenge Spain’s looting of Ancient American culture! Look at what they did to the natives of America – Spain murdered literally MILLIONS of innocent people, then forced the rest to adopt their psuedo-Christian Catholic religion, just like Muslims are trying to do today! The people of Central and South America suffer to this day, due to the plunder of Spain.
I am not surprized at the arrogance of the Spanish government. Instead of giving the silver to Spain, I say, Spain should pay the people of Central and South America restitution!
joe | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
Typical arrogance from Spanish goverment and their citizens! First they plunder and commit murder throughout the Americas. Steal vast amounts of gold and ship it back, but boat sinks with booty.
Fast forward a couple hundreds years, sign an agreement with OMEX, are invited on board to see for themselves the operations of salvaging. Decide not to come on board to see for themselves. Then when the treasure is discovered, they claims it’s theirs. What imbeciles…
Paul | May 9, 2009 | Reply
Great spain!! Fight for your treasures and honorable history!! EUROPE HAS HAD ENOUGH OF HISTORICAL-LUTING!! Master pieces in American museums are stole from Europe/Africa!! (They should show a musket at the very most LOL!!) If u claim that spain stole the gold from the americas and hence it should be returned there, then: (1) The gold should be given to the natives exclusively becuase it was theirs (3)It should be molded to remove historical value cause that’s spain’s (2) u so called modern americans stole so much more than gold to the native -land and dignity. The bigger thieves would be u and u should return back what u stole as well … what u think?
Dale Johnsonn | Nov 19, 2009 | Reply
Finders, Keepers. If Spain was so keen to steal it again, why were they not looking for it themselves?
They had their time at the top of the food chain a long time ago. Sorry, Carlos.
Hernan Cortes | Aug 21, 2011 | Reply
So you say that Spaniards killed indians ?
What About Americans?
Al least Spaniards melted with native americans, you only have to see that there is still hudge number of prehispanic americans in central and south America mixed with spanish, but what about north America?
how many indians were killed by the conquer of the west with no mixing with the indians at all, just killing them ? may be you are grand sons of the murders !
CoinLink | Aug 22, 2011 | Reply
Hernan: So your point is that Americans just murdered the indigenous population to steal the land, but the Spanish literally and figuratively screwed them first and then killed them for both gold and land? That argument would not seem to give the moral high ground to the Spaniards.