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From the “how to make it filthy rich while working in history if you really want to” files:The British have agreed to allow Odyssey Marine Exploration from Florida to search for the HMS Sussex which they believe to be located off the Spanish coast. The Sussex hit a storm in 1694 and went down with some 500 souls on board. As for the loot it was carrying:
Historians believe the 157 foot (48 metre) warship was carrying nine tonnes of gold coins for buying the loyalty of the Duke of Savoy, a potential ally in southeastern France. The coins are believed to be worth anywhere from $US500 million to $US4 billion ($A618.31 million to $A4.95 billion), project officials say.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/US-treasurehunters-seek-sunken-gold/2007/03/27/1174761434384.htmlAnd guess who gets the money if the Sussex is found? It's split between Odyssey and the British government. This is the same company that found the SS Republic which sank in 1865 near Georgia in the United States. The find for that was $75 million. Depending on the search expenses, this company may get paid quite well for doing something that seems rather....fun. Imagine that!
I suggest that Donnie direct his studies toward sunken ships off the coast of South Carolina. Might be worth it for him financially. ::)
I suggest that Donnie direct his studies toward sunken ships off the coast of South Carolina. Might be worth it for him financially. ::)
I have talked about it with my professor before. He usually does digs in Greece though. I'd rather find the helmet of an Athenian warrior buried in the ground in Athens, Greece, than to find a ton of gold bullion off the South Carolina coast. 😀
I believe there are certain locations where you pay a fee and can spend time on a dig site. Probably won't find any 13th Century jeweled crosses but might be interesting nonetheless.
I would like to work at a dig so that I can be instructed on the proper techniques. Might look good on a resume too, but right now I just cannot afford to break away and pursue something like that. Rest assured, one day I'll get a chance. 😎
Speaking of the Odyssey Marine Exploration company, they just made a find in the Atlantic which could be valued at $500 million. They didn't give details about the location of the find in the ocean.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070518/ap_on_re_us/treasure_ship_5
Don't look now but it doesn't look like they're going to get the booty without a fight…..a legal fight, that is:
The Spanish Civil Guard has intercepted a boat operated by a US company amid a row over treasure from a shipwreck. The guard had been ordered by a Spanish judge to seize the vessel as soon as it left the British colony of Gibraltar.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6896645.stmProbably shouldn't be so surprising that Spain is stepping up to possibly claim some or all of this treasure as its own. When we're talking about $500 million (a nice sum for government projects, don't you think?) and a country's cultural heritage it's really natural that the nation will try to explore the possibility of claiming it as their own. The problem, of course, is that a private company put the money and effort into searching for the find, and legal fights like this may prevent it from wanting to search in certain places of the world in the future.
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