$500 Million in Sunken Treasure Returning to Spain (Lawyers beat treasure hunters)

Fox ^ | Dec. 23, 2009 | staff

[centurion316]

Then Odyssey Marine should prevail, but given the vaugaries of admiralty law and the wacko behavior of U.S. judges, I’m not so sure.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Was it not abandoned property available for the taking? Any Admiralty lawyers around?

[papasmurf]

“I wonder how the “wise Latina” will rule ?”

hmmm...Let’s see...

Spain made a claim against it.
Peru made a claim against it.

She’s a proud Latina. Um, oh, I think she’ll be fair, apply the pertinent laws, and impartial. /NOT

[CJ Wolf]

That law was LOST.

[SuperLuminal]

Screw Spain! Like they hadn’t previously stolen the gold from the Americas...

[BlazingArizona]

It’s not feasible to discover and salvage deep water wrecks like this in secret.

I didn't say "salvaged", I said "looted". Operating in secret gives you time to strip and run, not to do real salvage. Archaeology will lose big. Gee thanks, lawyers!

[Travis McGee]

Even “looting” a major deep water wreck would involve too many complicated logistical modalities. It couldn’t be researched, found, and looted in total secrecy. It would be like trying to gear up for a moon shot in secret.

[shield]

Isn’t this because it was a Spanish naval ship?

[J Aguilar]

I have a feeling given the new technology at hand and the increased feasibility in such finds that we will see new law agreed upon at some conference in Holland that we will sign on to.

I think the United States of America are the most interested in the law keep being so, in order to avoid the secrets concealed in their sunk ships, such as the USS Scorpìon, not far from Spain, by the way, to be revealed.

Otherwise a private company could recover, for instance, the aft section, and sold the secrets of how it was constructed the reactor and propulsion system to, say, the Indians or Chinese or other emerging power. You can imagine what would it happen to the forward section, the sonar and the Mk 48 torpedoes...

Therefore, a military ship remains national territory even if it lays underwater.

[Jack Hammer]

See post 58.

[wardaddy]

Good point...maybe the higher courts will overturn this.

I researched this a bit when I first saw this and saw nothing on military flagged vessels being used as cargo...this could set another precedent.

I saw one case where a fellow had the bell from the Merrimac and the US government came and sued and took it for the Smithsonian sin compensa.

Strange laws I agree and especially now in the post Little Alvin age.

[antonia]

Spain robbed south America of their blood, culture and gold. Spain has no right to any of this gold.

It was a pirate ship in fact.

[MaxMax]

They probably already rewrote that historical fact. I doubt Spanish
vessels ever left their port with more than a couple pounds to trade with.

[J Aguilar]

See 69. It is the privilege of governmets to guard the rests of their military vessels. And probably the United States of America are the most interested in law being so.

[wardaddy]

Spain robbed south America of their blood, culture and gold. Spain has no right to any of this gold

Not picking a fight but that is a pretty PC revisionist view of western culture ...one that my kids hear incessantly in grade school and one i have to combat. "White man evil, red man great and noble"

Do you feel the same vitriol to how our forebears robbed the Indians here?

I have news for you. The native American tribes here were every bit as bloodthirsty and brutal as the Conquistadors...maybe more so, they just lacked wheels, domestic animals and cannon...and anything past early bronze age (and that is debatable..see Guanin in northern Colombia as the only exception to most of the New World being Stone Age)

Odd notions sometimes here for a conservative forum...when it comes to history.

like I said...I know you are a fine freeper but just sayin..

btw...I am descended from John Rolfe and Pocahontas thru the Bollings of Virgina and my wife is about 1/32 full blooded Creek