Spain Claims Sunken Treasure from Florida Deep-Sea Explorers

AP ^ | Thursday, May 08, 2008

[Joiseydude]

MADRID, Spain — Spain formally laid claim Thursday to a shipwreck that yielded a US$500 million treasure, saying it has proof the vessel was Spanish.

Officials demanded the return of the booty recovered last year by a U.S. deep-sea exploration firm, saying the 19th-century shipwreck at the heart of the dispute is the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes — a Spanish warship sunk by the British navy southwest of Portugal in 1804 with more than 200 people on board.

[coloradan]

If anyone other than the finder has claim, it’s Britain, who sunk it. (They could hav seized it instead, having been victorious in battle against it.) What is the basis for Spain’s claim?

[Gay State Conservative]

Tell those filthy Communists running Spain to go fornicate themselves!

[Gay State Conservative]

What is the basis for Spain’s claim?

Spain is today run by Communists.To a Communist,everything belongs to the State.

[Southack]

In return, modern day Incas demanded that Spain return all Incan gold, saying that they have proof that the gold came from what is now modern-day Mexico.

[ikka]

Law of salvage applies here. If the ship is sunk or abandoned then the finder / retriever owns it.

[Mr. K]

finders keepers

[mtbopfuyn]

Brings to mind that annoying commercial, “it’s my money and I want it NOW, whaaaa!”

[Ron Jeremy]

Well, what happens, and almost all gov’t are in on this, is they claim it is not abandoned.. its their ship, and they are just sort of leaving it there right now. Of course it’s BS, but governments can’t stand not taking a cut of anyone else’s windfall.

[coloradan]

That’s pretty funny, and yet entirely responsive to my post.

[Joiseydude]

Spain argues that the entire treasure should be returned because naval vessels remain the property of the nation that flagged them, regardless of where they lie, under the principle of sovereign immunity.

[antiRepublicrat]

Governments have been getting greedy lately with the salvage. Even if they do have a right to the treasure under maritime law, I think they’d owe Odyssey a finding and salvage fee.

[caver]

I’d tell the Spainards to come and take it, if they can. They roll over when the terrorists struck. It’s amazing that they once ruled the world.

[Slapshot68]

Can’t have it Spain...we need it to pay for gas.

;)

[Eurale]

Sorry Charlie.

[FrPR]

Great minds think alike.

[evets]

The Incan's stole it from Native Americans. The Seven Cities of Gold schadenfruede.

[weegee]

WAS is the operative word.

Spain had better watch out or the Islamic Empire landed in Mecca is going to demand “national treasures” from when they pwned Spain.

[unixfox]

Note to self, when finding treasure, never tell anyone.

[antiRepublicrat]

Of course it’s BS, but governments can’t stand not taking a cut of anyone else’s windfall.

OTOH, I can kind of understand the concept. Although there's no treasure, we wouldn't want anyone fishing around in the Yorktown for valuables.

[Reaganesque]

I was amused by that aspect too. “Give it back! We stole it fair and square!”

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

"It is the property of the Spanish navy, government and people, and we want it all back," said Adm. Teodoro de Leste Contreras, who runs a naval museum owned by the ministry.

I think that a strong argument could be made that the gold and silver belongs to the Indians, who owned it long before the Spanish ever stepped foot into South America.

[Proverbs 3-5]

I think that a strong argument could be made that the gold and silver belongs to the Indians, who owned it long before the Spanish ever stepped foot into South America.

And long before the indians owned it it belonged to nobody. Since I'm a nobody I want my cut right now!!!

[1rudeboy]

Not as strong as you think. You say the title to the gold is held by the Aztec (or whatever) Empire? How do you plan to return to gold?

[1rudeboy]

return the gold

[scan59]

From the article: Washington-based lawyer James Goold, representing the Spanish government in the case, said U.S. Judge Mark Pizzo will convene the two parties to review the case before deciding who gets to keep the treasure.

Goold said at a Madrid news conference that he expected Odyssey would keep "not a penny" of the salvage.

So the salvage crew locates it, retrieves it from the sea, and the Spanish government want it ALL? Wow!

[Axenolith]

One thing Spain has going for them in my book (and I’m loathe to see an ass sitting government step in and confiscate something they would never have put the time and resources into finding themselves) is that, IIRC, John Edwards has an approximately 10% stake in this treasure.

[Proverbs 3-5]

John Edwards has an approximately 10% stake in this treasure

isn't that the way of things... no matter how it ends up the lawyers will end up with it... one way or another...

[Proverbs 3-5]

Reminds me of an old joke...
...what do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

As most Mexicans are descendants of Indians (who never really disappeared after the Spanish Conquista), give it to Mexico?

[1rudeboy]

That’s the weak part of the argument.

[wny]

I’m not an expert, but I recall reading about a Russian warship sunk in the Baltic during WWI. I believe legally, a warship remains the property of the nation it belonged to. A merchant ship does not. it’s fair game to salvagers altho the shipping line would have a claim. If I recall, the salvagers of the czarist battleship worked out a 50-50 split with the Soviets.

[from occupied ga]

is the basis for Spain’s claim?

The same basis for any government claim againt private enterprise - greed and the long history of taking form those who earned and rsiked to accumulate.

[coloradan]

Warships carry weapons, merchant ships carry treasure. If I were the salvager, I would turn over all the cannons and whatnot to Spain and keep the treasure. (Thereby closing the warship-merchant loophole.)

[wizr]

A minimal start. I was thinking maybe we could scatter money in the ocean and get them to retrieve it. However, lawyers don’t work for their booty, they sue someone else for it.

[IMTOFT]

A good start...

What do you call a bus of lawyers that goes over a cliff with two empty seats?

[messierhunter]

Ah, but the government will redistribute the wealth to the “childwen” and others who deserve it more than the evil capitalist pigs who stole it from spain, so therefore, it’s ok. After all, it’s not fair for some to succeed while others will fail, we must evenly distribute the wealth for everyone to share!

[wny]

The Russian battleship was carrying gold to England to pay for armaments.

[RightWhale]

The Incan's stole it from Native Americans

Who were the Inca? Irish Christians?

[indcons]

Ping

[TexasRepublic]

What do you call a bus of lawyers that goes over a cliff with two empty seats?

A waste.

[TXnMA]

"What is the basis for Spain’s claim?"

Greed. And covetousness of that which was derived from the work of others (the salvors)...

[illiac]

Exactly!

[Polynikes]

“In return, modern day Incas demanded that Spain return all Incan gold, saying that they have proof that the gold came from what is now modern-day Mexico.”

Uhh.... The Incas were in South America I believe. Ecuador,Peru etc. The Aztecs were in Mexico,but I do see your point.

[Nuc1]

What do you call a bus of lawyers that goes over a cliff with two empty seats?

Missed opportunity.

[Wavrnr10]

Possession is 9 tenths. To the victor goes the spoils of war.

[Jonah Hex]

If you call a gathering of fish a school and a gathering of ravens a murder, then what do you call a gathering of lawyers?

(Hint: Begins with "C" and ends with "Y".)

[Finalapproach29er]

We’ll take the booty they attempted to steal, they can have their crappy ship back.

How’s that?

[weegee]

Inca are Peruvian.

[weegee]

Put it all back and let them retreive it.