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Friday, 27th January 2006 (4223 views)

A diplomatic row is brewing over rumours that ten tonnes of gold lie in a watery grave off Gibraltar.

An expedition had been underway to recover the doomed treasure from the sunken HMS Sussex, a 17th century British Galleon.

However, the Spanish government yesterday (January 26th) ordered the American company conducting the search to cease, citing claims that it was breaching prior agreements.

Under international law the remains of any shipwreck belong to the country under which the ship sailed. However, in 2002 the British government allowed Odyssey Marine Explorations to investigate the wreck for "archaeological value".

The Spanish government agreed to the exploration, but demanded that certain conditions be met, including that Odyssey was only working to identify the wreck and that a Spanish official observe proceedings.

The Spanish government now accuses Odyssey of "serious disobedience" and has ordered it to stop its explorations. Critics in Spain suspect that the US company is nothing more than a treasure hunter with little archaeological interest in the site.

The issue is further complicated, as it is not clear whether the galleon lies in Spanish or international waters.

It is thought that the galleon could contain between nine and ten tonnes of gold, being presented to the Duke of Savoy to convince him to join forces with England, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire against France in the War of the League of Augsburg.

 

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