Fool's gold: BBC
 

If Spain wins I hope Columbia, Peru and Mexico sue the crap out of Spain.

This oughtta be good!

B

------------------------------------------------

Spain targets US treasure ships

A judge in Cadiz instructed police to capture the ships if they entered Spanish waters, Spanish media said.

Odyssey Marine Exploration, which owns the ships, recently said it had found $500m (£253m) in coins from a wreck somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

Spain has launched legal action amid rumours it was found off Spain.

'Magnificent news'

The two ships, Odyssey Explorer and Ocean Alert, belonging to the Florida-based firm, are berthed in the British overseas territory.

The salvaged booty has already been flown back to the US from Gibraltar.

Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm (L) examines coins recovered from the Black Swan
The haul has already been flown back to the US

Spanish radio said Spanish Civil Guard police would be posted off Gibraltar to prepare for the ships' departure.

Culture Minister Carmen Calvo said the judge's ruling was "magnificent news" and that the navy would help if required.

"International laws are behind us and if anything outside the law occurred it will have an answer, and what is ours will return to Spain," Ms Calvo told the Efe news agency.

Spain has launched legal action over the wreck, which has been described, speculatively, as a 17th Century vessel found off the coast of England.

However, Spain reacted to rumours that it was found off its waters by instructing lawyers to recover any "property of the Kingdom of Spain recovered from sunken ships".

Spanish media have reported that Odyssey Marine Exploration vessels had been seen with flags denoting they were undertaking marine research in Spanish waters in recent months.

Odyssey's co-founder Greg Stemm has denied any wrongdoing.

It said it had kept the location secret for security and legal reasons.

Rumors, one of the elements necessary for a Mexican lawsuit to turn into a comedy sitcom.

As a part-time maritime lawyer specializing in pre-Columbian antiquities (when I'm not a 00 spy or brain surgeon which takes a lot of time, let me tell you), I wonder whether a country like say Columbia, could bring suit to recover artifacts seized by Spain during the spanish conquest conquest. As Greece and Egypt have done against English museums for repatriation of artifacts. Or Jews have done with valuables held in Swiss banks since WWII.

B

guess we just as well avoid a lawsuit and just give the indians back the whole country and go live at sea on a peach crate.

Horrible Spaniards in Peru
 

In Peru, a huge amount of Gold and Silver was stripped from the Inca temples, by Franisco Pizarro's band of merry men, with the promise,
that if a huge room was filled, with it,
then the Inca monarch Atahualpa held hostage would be released.

The gold and silver was delivered, but the Spanish went and killed Atahualpa anyway. The priceless filigree, and sculptures and medallions were shipped forthwith to Spain where they were promptly melted down.

Only a tiny hanndful survives in Spanish museums in its original condition.

Lets see, the Spanish plunder gold and silver from the 'savages' and their ships sank for whatever reason. Now that the wrecks are being found in international waters, Spain wants the booty back. Hmmm, did I miss something?

That's pretty succinct. But I'd like to close the loop by encouraging the plundered peoples to sue the crap out of Spain, too!

I heard they were going to borrow the money for the lawsuit from China.

class action....we don need no stinkin spanish debloons.

This could be fun. I'm sure there must be a carrier task group that could go hand around Gibraltar for a while.

- Peter.

Indian givers...