Here is a dichotomy. Spain demands and gets the return of treasure brought up by treasure hunters…that they stole from South America Aztecs…and refuses to pay any remuneration to the company for the work done. To top it off…the US court system backs the return and the US Air Force is making sure it is returned. Now how is that for outrage?
In 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration in Florida rasied a number of tons of treasure from the Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes. This ship was sunk in the early 1800’s by a British warship.
The galleon was en route from South America when it met its end off the Portuguese coast. The US-based company brought it to the surface and moved it back to Florida…at their cost and that of investors. Now Spain decides to cry foul and insist that they get the return of the cargo…for no reimbursement. They claim that the company had no authority to raise the treasure up in the first place.
An attorney for the Spanish government, James Goold, explained that the treasure being removed was likened to someone removing cargo from the USS Arizona when it was sunk in WWII by Japanese aircraft.
The federal court agreed with Goold and gave proprietary rights to Spain. So this treasure is going to Spain (notice this author is not saying returning to Spain).
So this brings up a couple of issues. The first one is how does Spain claim it doesn’t have to renumerate the Florida company? There was no indication they planned on bringing any of the cargo up any time soon. The company did them a service by doing the work. It would have been a show of good will for some compensation by this foreign entity. Especially considering that Spain removed this treasure from the native people of another country…through aggressive means on their part.
Secondly, trying to make the comparison against a sunk military vessel in dock having no stolen cargo on board against that of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, is not only ludicrous but insulting. The USS ARizona was not engaged in any military conflict at the time ti was attacked by the Japanese empire. Goold does a disservice to the memory of the Americans that lost their their lives against those that plundered and destroyed a race of people.
The US court system should never have kowtowed to Spain, but should have at least made a decision that the company should be paid for their troubles.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/21/us-air-base-to-transfer-shipwreck-treasure-worth-millions-to-spain/#ixzz1n5CGR4pM?test=latestnews