The Black Swan Odyssey

Investigators and film producers will look into the record-breaking underwater treasure

Treasures worth half a billion dollars excite the imagination of not only fans of pirate novels, but also officials. The American company Odyssey Marine Exploration, which announced the discovery of sunken treasure last week, is facing claims from Spain. In Madrid, it is believed that treasure hunters looted not an anonymous ship near Great Britain, but the English warship Sussex, which sank several centuries ago in the Strait of Gibraltar in Spanish territorial waters. In this case, Madrid could legally lay claim to a record treasure - until now, underwater archaeologists have not recovered richer loot from the bottom of the sea.

The intrigue is supported by the fact that Odyssey Marine Exploration keeps the details of its expedition secret, apparently fearing that competitors and simply curious people will come to the site of the shipwreck. And, according to the company, there are still some valuable items left under water. The company did not even voice a preliminary version of what kind of vessel was examined by divers. For now, the ship appears under the code name “Black Swan” (possibly in honor of the adventure novel of the same name by Rafael Sabatini, which tells the story of the heyday of pirate craft in the West Indies). In addition, by hiding details, treasure hunters tried to avoid the emergence of “wild speculation” about the value of what was found and the ownership of it. It didn’t help: in a matter of days, two quite plausible ideas immediately appeared about which particular lost ship the valuable loot was taken from.

The British press is actively discussing the version that Odyssey stumbled upon the remains of the hull of the Merchant Royal. This ship sank precisely in the area that was described in the most general terms by treasure hunters when they registered the rights to the treasures they found in court. In 1641, the “Royal Merchant” was sailing from Spain to Belgium with a large cargo of gold: this money was supposed to finance the army of Philip IV. However, during a storm the ship sank off the coast of England. And according to official statements by treasure hunters, gold and silver coins were recovered from a ship lying 40 miles from the southwestern tip of Great Britain.

The Spaniards suspect that everything is even more mysterious, and demand an investigation into the dark story of the treasure. The fact is that in March of this year, the Odyssey company received permission from local authorities to search for the English ship Sussex. She sank in the Strait of Gibraltar in 1694, when she was part of a squadron en route to the Mediterranean Sea. There the English fleet had to fight the French. But the Spaniards gave permission only to search for the Sussex; it was forbidden to lift anything from it to the surface. The Americans began work, and last Thursday (just a day before the official announcement of the discovery of the half-billion-dollar treasure) a charter Boeing landed in Gibraltar and soon flew off again, which could well have taken the precious cargo on board.

In Madrid it was considered that such coincidences do not exist. After all, Odyssey could have stumbled upon not only the Sussex, but also some other ship. According to the press secretary of the Spanish Minister of Culture, Susana Tello, about 400 ships were wrecked in the Strait of Gibraltar area. She stated that if it turns out that the Americans have found a Spanish ship, Madrid will undoubtedly lay claim to the find. The Maritime Guard Civil Guard has been ordered to thoroughly review the activities of Odyssey Marine Exploration. But American treasure hunters deny all the Spaniards' assumptions. They continue to insist that the treasure was discovered on the high seas and transported to the United States completely legally.

Apparently, the dispute between Madrid and Odyssey Marine Exploration will continue and may soon even move to the courts. In the meantime, this story has most interested the Walt Disney company: one of the co-owners of Odyssey, Greg Stemm, has already managed to meet with filmmakers and discuss the possibility of creating joint projects. For Walt Disney, the discovery of the treasure is “just a happy accident,” said company spokeswoman Cherise McVicar. The fact is that the sensation was announced literally a week before the premiere of the long-awaited third film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” It was impossible to think of a better advertising move for the next sequel to the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow. Even Spanish claims work for the success of the film, fueling audience interest with a scandal.

Mikhail MANSKOY