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Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com
Sunken treasure ship found off Guyana coast
Published on Tuesday, January 27, 2009
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: [email protected]
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: A United States-based marine research and recovery firm has claimed that it has located the wreck of a merchant ship under 800 feet of water approximately 40 miles off the coast of Guyana.
According to a Kaieteur News report, a submarine is said to have sunk the "Blue Baron" with two torpedoes in June 1942 and, according to the recovery firm, Sub Sea Research, the cargo on the "Blue Baron" may include at least ten tons of gold bullion, 70 tons of platinum, one and a half tons of industrial diamonds and 16 million carats of gem-quality diamonds.
Added to this, the company has reported that there may have been several thousand tons of tin and a few thousand tons of copper ingots. Even though the tin and copper may have been degraded after spending decades on the ocean bed, Sub Sea Research is estimating the total haul to be worth well over US$3 trillion.
In an effort to protect its find, the Sub Sea Research will not divulge the exact location of the wreck until the ship's cargo has been brought to the surface. The name of the ship is also not being released, but in the meantime, the ship has been dubbed as the "Blue Baron".
According to the founder of Sub Sea Research, Greg Brooks, "This British freighter had an extremely valuable cargo, and we decided there wasn't a lot of point in leaving it at the bottom of the sea. This will definitely be the richest wreck ever."
The Kaieteur News states that, according to Sub Sea Research, the "Blue Baron" was crewed largely by British nationals, and had left a European port bearing a cargo destined for the United States treasury. It is expected that the sheer scale of the treasure trove that is thought to be aboard the wreck will let loose a number of rival claims from interested parties.
Since laws concerning salvaging items from the ocean floor can be quite complex, experts think that it could take years of legal disputes before ownership of the wreck is attributed to any party.
It is believed that the Blue Baron first sailed, sometime during World War II, to a location somewhere in South America, before heading in convoy towards New York. Before reaching New York, Sub Sea Research is claiming, the convoy was intercepted by a German submarine.
kenb
caribbeannetnews.com
Sunken treasure ship found off Guyana coast
Published on Tuesday, January 27, 2009
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: [email protected]
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: A United States-based marine research and recovery firm has claimed that it has located the wreck of a merchant ship under 800 feet of water approximately 40 miles off the coast of Guyana.
According to a Kaieteur News report, a submarine is said to have sunk the "Blue Baron" with two torpedoes in June 1942 and, according to the recovery firm, Sub Sea Research, the cargo on the "Blue Baron" may include at least ten tons of gold bullion, 70 tons of platinum, one and a half tons of industrial diamonds and 16 million carats of gem-quality diamonds.
Added to this, the company has reported that there may have been several thousand tons of tin and a few thousand tons of copper ingots. Even though the tin and copper may have been degraded after spending decades on the ocean bed, Sub Sea Research is estimating the total haul to be worth well over US$3 trillion.
In an effort to protect its find, the Sub Sea Research will not divulge the exact location of the wreck until the ship's cargo has been brought to the surface. The name of the ship is also not being released, but in the meantime, the ship has been dubbed as the "Blue Baron".
According to the founder of Sub Sea Research, Greg Brooks, "This British freighter had an extremely valuable cargo, and we decided there wasn't a lot of point in leaving it at the bottom of the sea. This will definitely be the richest wreck ever."
The Kaieteur News states that, according to Sub Sea Research, the "Blue Baron" was crewed largely by British nationals, and had left a European port bearing a cargo destined for the United States treasury. It is expected that the sheer scale of the treasure trove that is thought to be aboard the wreck will let loose a number of rival claims from interested parties.
Since laws concerning salvaging items from the ocean floor can be quite complex, experts think that it could take years of legal disputes before ownership of the wreck is attributed to any party.
It is believed that the Blue Baron first sailed, sometime during World War II, to a location somewhere in South America, before heading in convoy towards New York. Before reaching New York, Sub Sea Research is claiming, the convoy was intercepted by a German submarine.
kenb
