Spain claims $500 million in sunken treasure

May 9th, 2008 By HAROLD HECKLE, Associated Press Writer

Admiral Teodoro de Leste Contreras, who runs a naval museum owned by the ministry, speaks during a press conference in Madrid on Thursday, May 8, 2008. Spain laid formal claim Thursday to a shipwreck that yielded US$500 million (euros324 million) in treasure, saying it has proof the vessel is Spanish and demanding that a U.S. deep-sea exploration firm that recovered the booty give it all back. US lawyer James Goold, who represents the Spanish government, is seen in the background.(AP Photo/ Kote Rodrigo, EFE)

(AP) -- Spain formally laid claim Thursday to a shipwreck that yielded a $500 million treasure, saying it has proof the vessel was Spanish.

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• mrlewish - May 09, 2008
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  If the wreckage is the property of Spain then I suggest that the company that found all the booty return it to Neptune and tell Spain to get it themselves. Also shouldn't the booty be Englands since it it their trophy since they sank it. Law of War and all that.
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• superhuman - May 09, 2008
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  If you ever find a sunken treasure remember to keep your mouth shut!
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• holoman - May 09, 2008
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  Heh, how about returning the gold to the real owners. The people of central America who where enslaved, killed, and raped by Spain.
  
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• 1bigschwantz - May 09, 2008
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  It may be a little tough to keep quite about something this big when your hauling several tons of gold ashore. But if the ship was in international water, i have to say, finders keepers. P.S. I didnt catch any "Physics" in this article.
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• mattytheory - May 09, 2008
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  @1bigschwantz: thats because the article is categorized as "Archaeology & Fossils".
  
  @holoman: agreed!
  
  @mrlewish: agreed as well!
  
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• trantor - May 09, 2008
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  the treasure belongs to Spain, the same way fallen US satellites belong to US no matter where they fell. Or US submarines, and their tech and nuclear reactors!
  
  
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• FelixDraconis - May 09, 2008
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  Yeah. Send it back to the ocean floor. If Spain can't play fair and lift a finger to find their 'missing ship' then let them deal with it.
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• SDMike - May 10, 2008
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  Be sure to drop the treasure somewhere new so spain can spend their money looking for it.
  
  If ya don't look for it ya can't claim it when someone else finds it.
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