500 Million Bucks Under The Sea
Company stakes its claim on possibly largest shipwreck booty ever
View Document
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea
-
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea -
500 Million Bucks Under The Sea
MAY 18--The Florida company that today announced its recovery of about $500 million in silver and gold coins from a colonial-era shipwreck last year told a federal court of locating what appeared to be a 17th Century merchant vessel sitting on the sea floor, about 40 miles from the western coast of England. While the company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, did not further describe where in the Atlantic Ocean the nine-figure haul was recovered, 2006 federal court filings appear to indicate that the shipwrecked vessel was located last summer near the English Channel (though beyond the territorial waters of any nation). In filings with the U.S. District Court in Tampa, Odyssey sought a judicial order granting it possession and control of the sunken vessel. In one September 2006 motion, a copy of which you'll find below, Odyssey revealed that the shipwreck was discovered with 'sophisticated sonar and magnetometer equipment,' and that photos from a 'remotely operated vehicle' recorded images of 'vessel remains, metal objects, and cannons.' The firm added that research led it to conclude that 'more valuable cargo may be located aboard the ship,' which it believed was a 'merchant vessel from the 17th Century. A shipwreck of this era would be a tremendously important historical find.' Since Odyssey's court filings include latitude and longitude coordinates, we've generated the above Google map of the shipwreck area. But since the coordinates reflect only the center point of a grid with a five-mile radius, pirates will have to hunt around a bit (guided by our handy red arrow) for sloppy seconds. (11 pages)
