MORE AND BEYOND OSSY
Bronze Member
Spanish News:
In 1999 'Pipe' Sarmiento (Bilbao,1952) journalist,lawyer and writer,was sailing quietly through the waters of the bay of Algeciras aboard his sailboat. The passage promised to be placid. one morning sunbathing and chatting with friends a boat caught the attention of its master Sarmiento " as I approached and observed the movements on board I realized that something strange was going on. It was not a simple ship moored in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar". The Sea Hawk, an American flagged vessel leased by the treaure hunting company Odyssey International, appeared to be scanning the seabed using magnetometers capable of drawing to perfection a map of whatever was under the water. I immediately reported the activity to the Civil Guard because what they wre doing was neither routine nor legal. They were in our waters and there are limits to what one can do in Spanish territorial waters.
The Civil Guard were aware of the vessel and its activites but were unable to do anything about it. Their hands were tied" A year later, The sea Hawk returned to the Straits and recommenced its scanning activities. this time their goal seemed clearer- find the remains of the wreck of HMS Sussex, an English vessel which sank in 1694 with nine tons of gold on board. " Here is the key to the present controversy. Looking for a British ship in Spanish waters but, which according to them were under control of Gibraltar.
According to that theory, they had a right to be there. However, in accordance with the UNESCO convention of 2001 signed by Spain, if the ship is Spanish, it belongs to us" said Sarmiento... " what was very clear to Pipe Sarmiento, an experienced maritime lawyer who had dedicated many years to the sea, was the close collaboration between Odyssey, the English government and Gibraltar. " They had reached an agreement- 50% of the booty was to be exchanged for the Military and political protection offered by the Gibraltarian authorities".
The meetings between Manuel Chavez, then chairman of the Board of Andalucia and Josep Pique minister of Foreign Affairs with the Aznar Goverment did not have the desired effect. In fact, the Government came to grant the first of many permits to enable the sea Hawk to continue to seek the Sussex.
But the harassment of environmentalist and the Civil Guard forced a change of strategy. Odyssey, withdraws the Sea hawk from the waters off Gibraltar and in its place they substitute the Mini-beix. On board, two Spaniards, whose presence are now required in order to continue to be moored in the Mediterranean - a member of the Spanish Navy and the archaeologist Ivan Negueruele discovered the subterfuge.
"In one of the exploration sites - allegedly of the Sussex, was located remains of a cannon and ceramics. when Negueruela analyzed them he found that the remnants were Spanish" Odyssey could no longer continue with its decepton. what he had found was not a British but a Spanish vessel. The Board of Andalusia, was then informed of the finding, forcing the Civil Guard to Expel the Americans. The central Government decried that decision. But the Board was undeterred !
Stemm withdraws but does not surrender. He still has an ace up his sleeve. During the following years, until 2004, the claims get tangled in drawn out judicial processes. Pipe Sarmiento maintains his assertion - the waters of the Strait belong to Spain, therefore, Odyssey has no right to be there without Spanish permission. " THEY KNEW AND WERE FULLY AWARE THAT THEY HAD NOT FOUND THE SUSSEX. But their only objective was to make off with the gold!
Zapatero believed that by turning a blind eye to what Odyssey was doing, would assit with solving the conflict with Gibratar and the recovery of the colony for Spain..
The naivety of our political classes allowed Stemm to follow through with his plans" Towards the end of 2005 Odyssey returned for the booty. First with the Ocean Boomer which during several months mapped out the wreck and then with the Odyssey Exploer. However from a small house inthe Mallorcan municpality of Costitx, Pipe Sarmiento was able to follow all Odyssey's coming and going via the satellite. " This allowed me to identify the true location of the ship " BY DAY THEY PRETENDED TO SEARCH ELSEWHERE IN THE BAY OF ALGECIRAS BUT BY NIGHT UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS THEY RETURNED TO THE LOCATION OF THE SUNKEN SPANISH SHIP"
Satellite photographs, and a leak which confirmed the departure of a flight from Gibraltar airport to the United States with more than 15 metric tons of booty with a declared dutiable value of $4 million on board were able to expose what was really going on.
" It was the 18th of may 2007. I got a call and went to the airport of Son San Joan and within hours I was in a hire car watching the loading of what had been STOLEN ! I became angry and thought this is the time to act "
The strategy was developed in Mallorca- leaks to the media, thousands of web pages which exposed what Stemm was up to - to auction the lot to the highest bidder.
A film script has now been developed, in which Antonio Banderas, a good friend of Sarmiento has shown interest in doing because of his passion for the sea. A BOOK WILL ALSO BE WRITTEN. IT WILL EXPOSE A FEW SECRETS - no doubt stirring the politicians into action.
We still don't know the full story !
I will post the link. Ossy
In 1999 'Pipe' Sarmiento (Bilbao,1952) journalist,lawyer and writer,was sailing quietly through the waters of the bay of Algeciras aboard his sailboat. The passage promised to be placid. one morning sunbathing and chatting with friends a boat caught the attention of its master Sarmiento " as I approached and observed the movements on board I realized that something strange was going on. It was not a simple ship moored in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar". The Sea Hawk, an American flagged vessel leased by the treaure hunting company Odyssey International, appeared to be scanning the seabed using magnetometers capable of drawing to perfection a map of whatever was under the water. I immediately reported the activity to the Civil Guard because what they wre doing was neither routine nor legal. They were in our waters and there are limits to what one can do in Spanish territorial waters.
The Civil Guard were aware of the vessel and its activites but were unable to do anything about it. Their hands were tied" A year later, The sea Hawk returned to the Straits and recommenced its scanning activities. this time their goal seemed clearer- find the remains of the wreck of HMS Sussex, an English vessel which sank in 1694 with nine tons of gold on board. " Here is the key to the present controversy. Looking for a British ship in Spanish waters but, which according to them were under control of Gibraltar.
According to that theory, they had a right to be there. However, in accordance with the UNESCO convention of 2001 signed by Spain, if the ship is Spanish, it belongs to us" said Sarmiento... " what was very clear to Pipe Sarmiento, an experienced maritime lawyer who had dedicated many years to the sea, was the close collaboration between Odyssey, the English government and Gibraltar. " They had reached an agreement- 50% of the booty was to be exchanged for the Military and political protection offered by the Gibraltarian authorities".
The meetings between Manuel Chavez, then chairman of the Board of Andalucia and Josep Pique minister of Foreign Affairs with the Aznar Goverment did not have the desired effect. In fact, the Government came to grant the first of many permits to enable the sea Hawk to continue to seek the Sussex.
But the harassment of environmentalist and the Civil Guard forced a change of strategy. Odyssey, withdraws the Sea hawk from the waters off Gibraltar and in its place they substitute the Mini-beix. On board, two Spaniards, whose presence are now required in order to continue to be moored in the Mediterranean - a member of the Spanish Navy and the archaeologist Ivan Negueruele discovered the subterfuge.
"In one of the exploration sites - allegedly of the Sussex, was located remains of a cannon and ceramics. when Negueruela analyzed them he found that the remnants were Spanish" Odyssey could no longer continue with its decepton. what he had found was not a British but a Spanish vessel. The Board of Andalusia, was then informed of the finding, forcing the Civil Guard to Expel the Americans. The central Government decried that decision. But the Board was undeterred !
Stemm withdraws but does not surrender. He still has an ace up his sleeve. During the following years, until 2004, the claims get tangled in drawn out judicial processes. Pipe Sarmiento maintains his assertion - the waters of the Strait belong to Spain, therefore, Odyssey has no right to be there without Spanish permission. " THEY KNEW AND WERE FULLY AWARE THAT THEY HAD NOT FOUND THE SUSSEX. But their only objective was to make off with the gold!
Zapatero believed that by turning a blind eye to what Odyssey was doing, would assit with solving the conflict with Gibratar and the recovery of the colony for Spain..
The naivety of our political classes allowed Stemm to follow through with his plans" Towards the end of 2005 Odyssey returned for the booty. First with the Ocean Boomer which during several months mapped out the wreck and then with the Odyssey Exploer. However from a small house inthe Mallorcan municpality of Costitx, Pipe Sarmiento was able to follow all Odyssey's coming and going via the satellite. " This allowed me to identify the true location of the ship " BY DAY THEY PRETENDED TO SEARCH ELSEWHERE IN THE BAY OF ALGECIRAS BUT BY NIGHT UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS THEY RETURNED TO THE LOCATION OF THE SUNKEN SPANISH SHIP"
Satellite photographs, and a leak which confirmed the departure of a flight from Gibraltar airport to the United States with more than 15 metric tons of booty with a declared dutiable value of $4 million on board were able to expose what was really going on.
" It was the 18th of may 2007. I got a call and went to the airport of Son San Joan and within hours I was in a hire car watching the loading of what had been STOLEN ! I became angry and thought this is the time to act "
The strategy was developed in Mallorca- leaks to the media, thousands of web pages which exposed what Stemm was up to - to auction the lot to the highest bidder.
A film script has now been developed, in which Antonio Banderas, a good friend of Sarmiento has shown interest in doing because of his passion for the sea. A BOOK WILL ALSO BE WRITTEN. IT WILL EXPOSE A FEW SECRETS - no doubt stirring the politicians into action.
We still don't know the full story !
I will post the link. Ossy
