US treasure hunters eye our waters
Tuesday 17th June 2008, 1:00PM BST.
17th Century painting of La Vierge du Bon Port and other vessels.
A TREASURE hunt believed to be worth in excess of £200m. could soon begin in our waters. An American company, dubbed modern-day treasure hunters, have been investigating sites around Guernsey’s coastline.
There are strong rumours that a famous 17th-century French galleon has been found. La Vierge du Bon Port was the pride of Louis XIV’s merchant navy when it was sunk in the English Channel on 9 July 1666.
A report in The Independent says that the privateer vessel, Orange, came into Guernsey shortly after having sunk the French galleon. Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc., a private Florida-based company, could be on the brink of dredging up the past.
Two weeks ago, it filed a claim at the District Court in Tampa to two ‘cannon wrecks of the colonial period’ lying within the Channel, between 25 and 40 miles from the British waters. If this location is accurate, it is unlikely to be an issue for Guernsey authorities.
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Odyssey’s claim seems to be a publicity stunt, for as the above piece recognises, whatever they have found cannot be anywhere near the Channel Islands. If they really found this French vessel, France will likely contest the claim, just as Spain contests every Odyssey claim.
The company wants investors. Stunts like this keep the punters coming.
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“Solomon” is a well-known Odyssey critic and crank who spends his days posting comments just like this one to news articles about the company and its shipwreck projects. I’d suggest taking his observations with a grain of salt, a healthy dash of skepticism.
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Back to you Solomon!
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The issue is Odyssey, described by the Spanish minister of culture as “pirates”. The real Jim McManus is subject to a frivolous lawsuit by Odyssey in a vain attempt to intimidate the company’s critics. The FBI is investigating attempts to harass critics. If Odyssey is “straight”, why do its pumpers resort to such tactics? More at historyhuntersinternational.org
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