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Associated Press reports that two military planes laden with 17 tons of silver and gold coins recovered from a sunken Spanish galleon have touched down in Madrid.
The coins, 594,000 in total and worth about 400 million euros, were recovered from a shipwreck off Portugal’s Atlantic Coast by an American salvage company, Odyssey Marine Exploration. The find made headlines back in 2007 as one of the largest hauls of gold and silver ever recovered from the sea.
According to AP, the ship is believed to be the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, sunk by British warships in an 1804 gunbattle while part of a fleet travelling back to Spain from South America. About 200 people were believed to be aboard.
Florida-based Odyssey brought the treasure back to the States, but its ownership was challenged by Spain. A federal district court ruled that U.S. courts didn’t have jurisdiction, and in 2009 ordered the coins returned.
Peru, the country from where the galleon originally set sail, has also laid claim to the treasure, saying in a statement it “would maintain its claim despite losing an appeal Friday and the rejection by U.S. courts of previous claims by descendants of the Peruvian merchants who had owned the shipment,” AP reported.
For now, the coins have been offloaded from the planes and taken to an undisclosed location.
Last September, The Scotsman reported a British cargo ship carrying silver worth £135 million was located deep in the North Atlantic 70 years after it was sunk by a Nazi torpedo.
The treasure, about 200 tonnes of silver stashed in the ship’s hold, was also recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, but in this case, under a salvage agreement with the British government, Odyssey was able to keep 80% of the cargo.
15 Comments
Narotam Lathia
Europe and USA are still the bully boys like BrUtish were/are. The UK has ZERO natural produce and have lived off stollen goods since before Q. E. 0ne.
milthon
All the coins should return to Peru. Spain stole gold for many years from Peru. Al that time they didnt invest in development only chaos, death, poverty to the peruvian indigenous.
selling gold coins
“What did spain do to find and recover it?? NOTHING, The company that found it should get at least half!!!!!,”
I agree. The one who made the effort to fish them out from the ocean are the ones who deserve to get the treasure.
Nsheldon
This is a dangerous precedent to allow local courts to set. The metals were taken by force from Peru in the first, hence Spain has no legal claim on the finished coins (Peru is as i understand has filled suit).
Odyssey Marine was not rewarded recovery costs which can easily mount into the millions, without whom this would still be on the bottom of the sea.
Crikey McGregor
Another example of — ‘The Law is an Ass’. Murderers, rapists and thieves who have access to funds walk around free, everywhere!
Sadly, the Law today is generally more corrupt than stupid.
Two hundred years later Peru and Spain have no valid claim, not unless they contracted with Odyssey to make the recovery
tenpan
Finders keepers
Richvankleef
Why give it back to Spain they stole it from the peruvians who could well do with the cash.they were slaughtered in their hundreds if not thousands,where is the justice!
Patricio
Now the spaniards have some money to pay their debts
Justino Urena
It is well known that the Spaniards looted and stole great quantities of precious metals from their “colonies” in the Americas. It does not seem fair that those treasures, when found, should revert to them…
B Lund
One would think in all fairness that most if not all Gold should be returned to Peru as the Spanish had stolen it in the first place!! The world court should have the final say! Go Peru GO GO 🙂
Doctormike1953
Everyone needs to wake up and read the law!!! its called sunken tresure, lost and was written off many years ago, law of the sea says, you find you keep it, What did spain do to find and recover it?? NOTHING, The company that found it should get at least half!!!!!, Spain has always taken what was never theres, for hundreds of years and still doing it!!!
Doctormike1953
Spain is out of order, it was not theres in the first place, all they have done for hundred of years is take what was NEVER theres, the court judge that over ruled the finding must have had a back hander, and a big brown bag with a pay off to sway it Spains way!!!!!!!!!!!
Hildebrandx
I think that the people who financied the recovery should have kept the gold. If spain wanted it, why didn’t they take the risks to locate and recover it. Finders keepers
Micron
If the Gold was traded by the Peruvian merchants and sold to Spanish then Spain should have the Gold. If it was taken by force (in the brutal way they obtained gold in the Americas) then the mongrels should return the gold to Peru
JK
Fanchisco
The Spanish Crown was a criminal enterprize, and immoral to boot. They don’t deserve
any ‘boobie prizes’ for their total disregard for all of humanity except themselves.