US Scavengers Spot Legendary Warship

Tons of gold coins could be on board sunken British warship
By Laurel Jorgensen,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2009 6:30 PM CST
US Scavengers Spot Legendary Warship
The Odyssey Explorer's ROV measures the bore hole of a 42-pound bronze cannon on the shipwreck site of HMS Victory in the English Channel.    (AP Photo/Odyssey Marine Exploration)

A US company has found a prized, 18th century British warship that may be worth millions, the BBC reports. Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration says it has spotted the HMS Victory, a man-o-war that sank in the English Channel in 1744 and has been sought by scavengers ever since. "Very rarely do you solve an age-old mystery like this," said Odyssey CEO Greg Stemm.

The discovery could trigger a tussle with the British government: The ship, which carried valuable brass cannons and gold coins, was reportedly found in international waters. But as a military vessel, it belongs to Britain. Stemm says he's already in talks with British officials.
(More discovery stories.)

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