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Sunken Treasure Worth $500 Million Found Off England

Posted by Zonk on from the treasure-in-the-depths dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In a modern day (and underwater) version of Indiana Jones, the AP is reporting that Odyssey Marine Exploration has recovered an estimated $500 Million in colonial coins from a 400 year old shipwreck in the Atlantic. The exact location of the wreck is still undisclosed. Odyssey is a for-profit, publicly traded company. 'In seeking exclusive rights to that site, an Odyssey attorney told a federal judge last fall that the company likely had found the remains of a 17th-century merchant vessel that sank with valuable cargo aboard, about 40 miles off the southwestern tip of England. A judge granted those rights Wednesday. In keeping with the secretive nature of the project dubbed ''Black Swan,'' Odyssey also is not discussing details of the coins, such as their type, denomination or country of origin. Bruyer said he observed a wide variety of coins that probably were never circulated. He said the currency was in much better condition than artifacts yielded by most shipwrecks of a similar age. The coins -- mostly silver pieces -- could fetch several hundred to several thousand dollars each, with some possibly commanding much more, he said.'"

9 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Solution to global warming! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Phase 1. Treasure
    Phase 2. ???
    Phase 3. Stop Global Warming

    Only now does it become obvious that what we needed were more pirates.

  2. This just proves... by Romwell · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that pirates are better than ninjas. You never get to read about ninja treasure found underwater !

  3. I'm not getting it by niceone · · Score: 3, Funny

    In a modern day (and underwater) version of Indiana Jones

    I'm not quite getting it. Leaving aside the difficulties of shooting, who would stand in for the evil Nazis? I suppose they could have the Taliban in scuba gear.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
    1. Re:I'm not getting it by saforrest · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm not quite getting it. Leaving aside the difficulties of shooting, who would stand in for the evil Nazis? I suppose they could have the Taliban in scuba gear.

      Well, why not the Nazis? They had U-boats after all. Maybe it could be a secret undersea Nazi base in the North Sea which survived the downfall of the Third Reich by remaining undetected, but which is located close enough to the shipwreck that its existence is jeopardized. Indiana Jones V: Indiana Jones und Das Boot!

    2. Re:I'm not getting it by niceone · · Score: 5, Funny

      You, Sir, are a genius. Have you considered a Hollywood career? Combining 2 sequels into one movie - a masterstroke.

      --
      ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
  4. Not Quite Indiana Jones by \\ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Indiana Jones would've put that shit in a Museum, not paid dividends to his shareholders.

  5. Re:The exact location of the wreck still undisclos by l3mr · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is no map. It looks like...dancing lessons.

    --
    The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before. - Neil Gaiman
  6. Re:Federal Judge by QuantumG · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's so cool. I can't wait until someone does something similar with an abandoned spacecraft.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  7. Re:As the sunken vessel lies in international wate by BakaHoushi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Argh, the term ye be lookin' fer is "pre-emptive nautical salvage experts" or simply "pastafarians."