Anyone know if La Galga (1750) has been found? I can only find references from the late 90s and they indicate it was found at the VA/ MD border rather than the VA/ NC border. I'm new so excuse my ignorance. TIA!
Thanks a lot Darren. It sounds like it was found but there's some legal issue on the salvage.
Wish me luck - going on my first hunt this week on some previously unsearched farm land dating back a couple hundred years. I found a location in the woods with evidence of a long abandoned camp site. Fits with the family story of southern soldiers getting permission during CW to hide themselves and horses toward the end. Looking forward to it!
The Ministry of Culture of Spain signed an agreement in June 2004 with Sea Hunt to recover the frigates JUNO and GALGA. Previously the finder's right was recognized according to the Spanish law. This agreement didn't like certain people and it caused bitterness. In fact, Sea Hunt never knew or it could get the permits from Virginia.
Mister Luis Valero was the speaker and representative of Sea Hunt in the negotiations with Culture.
That's incorrect. Virginia never issued any specific *salvage* permits, only search/survey permits, which Sea Hunt, Inc. did obtain. Then NPS and DOS got involved....
Originally Posted by Claudio
The Ministry of Culture of Spain signed an agreement in June 2004 with Sea Hunt to recover the frigates JUNO and GALGA. Previously the finder's right was recognized according to the Spanish law. This agreement didn't like certain people and it caused bitterness. In fact, Sea Hunt never knew or it could get the permits from Virginia.
Mister Luis Valero was the speaker and representative of Sea Hunt in the negotiations with Culture.
Michael Barnette
Association of Underwater Explorers
http://uwex.us
Barney, the agreement is of June 2003, not 2004. In this agreement it is specified that Sea Hunt will have to get the permit from Virginia. It is understood that are the recovery permit.
Spain, as proprietor of the jetsams, authorized the recovery, but with the due permit from Virginía.
Virginia never authorized !!
I was working at Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) when this was going on, and the whole process was stopped a little after '97 or so as far as I know. NPS and DOS/DOJ actually sent a letter in protest of VMRC issuing an exploration permit, but VA stood by its decision to give Benson the permit. The issued permit prevented him from encroaching within a half mile of the beach during the summer months, to prevent conflicts with visiting tourists and bathers. During the "off-season," Benson could operate closer to the beach. As a condition of the permit, Benson agreed to share 25% of the recovered assets from the wreck site to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The NPS was not happy with the operations of Sea Hunt. Communications from the Assateague National Park Superintendent to VMRC sought to seek the revocation of Sea Hunt's permits to "salvage the wreck site." VMRC replied that they had not issued a salvage permit, per se, but rather an exploration permit to survey a particular area. Since the wreck of the JUNO had not been positively identified as yet, VMRC could not issue a salvage permit to a specific wreck. In an attempt to circumnavigate the issued permit, the NPS stated that while the wreck thought to be the JUNO was interned in "state bottom," in order to access the site one must traverse the water column above the wreck, which they maintained was federal jurisdiction. When that approach failed, the NPS, in conjunction with the DOJ, got a Spanish naval attache to write a letter saying the JUNO was Spanish property. After that, everything fell apart.
Maybe there was another effort in 2003, but I am not aware of that and was under the impression Benson walked away from all the BS after the '97 fiasco. Last I talked to him was in early '98 I think.
Is Sea Hunt even around any more?
Originally Posted by Claudio
Barney, the agreement is of June 2003, not 2004. In this agreement it is specified that Sea Hunt will have to get the permit from Virginia. It is understood that are the recovery permit.
Spain, as proprietor of the jetsams, authorized the recovery, but with the due permit from Virginía.
Virginia never authorized !!
Michael Barnette
Association of Underwater Explorers
http://uwex.us
Barney, Benson gave to Peter Knollenberg and Bill Koch Sea Hunt in 1998. Now it is incorporate to Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc. (SEAI).
I was vice-president of SEAI-Spain, but I have resigned to differ in many matters.
Undoubtedly NPS and Robert Bloomberg opposed to the recovery, still having Sea Hunt a Spanish authorization from 2003.
In this whole matter there were very strange things and undoubtedly they prevailed certain interest to sweep with the treasure hunters. There are many rough details that will surely never know.
The following was posted by someone on another forum.
"I've just finished reading a new book, "The Hidden Galleon" by John Amrhein Jr., which is a definitive work concerning the La Galga and Juno. Really an excellent read. Odyssey Marine is mentioned as well as our friend Mr. Goold, among others. A lot about the court case between Sea Hunt, Virginia and Spain.
Also a lot of history and background of the Spanish Fleet as well as Capt. Daniel Huony of the La Galga (He was one of the Irish 'Wild Geese')
There is also a real character named Donald Stewart who is portrayed as a con-artist and who started the whole mess. Reminds me of someone at DPBM.
The author claims to have discovered the exact location of La Galga, and it's not in the ocean, or on the shore, but inland. Very exhaustive research (with references), field work, etc.
Here are the coordinates of the La Galga, if you are interested. Just copy into Google Earth:"
I just finished reading the book. Yes, Amrhein has both archival proof and he also ran a mag across the area. It seems the inlet silted over and the sand dunes built up over the wreck. Read the book, its really good.
Preserving Maritime History for Future Generations
Thanks for the tip about the book: I had not read about its publication, and am looking forward to reading it.
Claudio,
I doubt if you are correctr about Spain ever issuing a permit to Sea Hunt. After Spain won the SeaHunt case in 2000, with the Court of Appeals giving Spain full ownership of LaGalga, why on earth would Spain have let SeaHunt continue their efforts to recover the wreck?
HIDDEN GALLEON UPDATE: Legendary Spanish galleon described in children’s classic, Misty of Chincoteague, taken hostage by the federal government.
On the island of Assateague on Virginia’s Eastern shore lies the remains of the Spanish warship La Galga which ran ashore in 1750. It is this shipwreck which gave birth to the legend that the
world famous wild ponies originated from a Spanish galleon years ago. The book, Misty of
Chincoteague, was published in 1947 by Marguerite Henry making these ponies and the legend
of their origin known to millions. What may consist of 25-30% of the galleon’s intact hull was
discovered in 1983 buried beneath Assateague Island nowhere near the ocean. She had been
swept into a forgotten inlet and covered up. John Amrhein, Jr. has recounted the fascinating
history of this shipwreck in his award winning book, The Hidden Galleon published in 2007.
Since its publication, the shipwreck has found itself in the middle of an international battle over
17 tons of Spanish treasure between Odyssey Marine Exploration of Tampa, Florida and the
Kingdom of Spain. Wreck Diving Magazine has just published an article which not only takes a
look inside the Odyssey Marine Exploration treasure case with Spain but exposes the federal
government’s lack of respect for historic preservation when there is treasure at stake. This is
what happened.
• When Odyssey Marine Exploration laid claim to 17 tons of Spanish treasure in the federal
court in Tampa, Florida in 2007, Spain told the world that they had won in court before and
would win again. They were referring to the Sea Hunt case decided in 2000. In this case
Spain was awarded rights to the Spanish shipwrecks La Galga and the Juno.
• In October 2007, The Hidden Galleon was published by John Amrhein, Jr. It documents that
not only was La Galga and the Juno not found in the Sea Hunt case but that La Galga had
been found in 1983 buried beneath Assateague Island. The Juno sank 250 miles from where
the court was led to believe she had been discovered. The two wrecks “discovered” in the Sea Hunt case were not Spanish but merely unidentified merchant vessels that belonged to
the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• In February 2008, Amrhein had the cultural resource management firm of Gray & Pape of
Richmond, VA, apply for a non-intrusive magnetometer survey with the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service to map and verify the site on Assateague within the Chincoteague National
Wildlife Refuge. They have refused to grant the permit, they have refused to deny the permit,
they have refused to talk about the permit for the past two years.
• In September 2008, the Spanish Embassy in Washington instructed the USFWS to keep
Amrhein and his archaeologist off of Assateague Island at the suspected wreck site, a
location that is two miles from the site that was awarded them in the Sea Hunt case.
• In November 2008, Amrhein notified the federal court hearing the Odyssey Marine case that
the shipwrecks La Galga and the Juno had not been found in the Sea Hunt case. He cited
court testimony that Spain was well aware of this during the trial.
• In January 2009, Spain’s attorney used carefully crafted language to avoid the averments
made by Amrhein about La Galga being buried under Assateague Island and led the court to
believe that La Galga’s remains were “scattered about the ocean floor.” This was even after
Spain’s attorney had read the truth about La Galga in The Hidden Galleon.
• In April 2009, a model of La Galga was loaned to the Chincoteague National Wildlife
Refuge by Amrhein and Bill Bane who constructed the model. It is hoped that this will
awaken the public to the historic treasure buried in the Refuge.
• In May 2009, Amrhein found out about Spain’s September 2008 request to deny Amrhein
access to Assateague Island for the purposes of mapping the wreck site of La Galga. Spain
has to this date refused to respond to Amrhein’s direct communication to them in which he
emphasized that he has no claim to the wreck, that the wreck buried beneath United States
soil belongs to the United States and it deserves to be excavated and placed in a museum.
• Amrhein has discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request that Spain and the
National Park Service have conspired to put artifacts from the unidentified shipwrecks found
in the Sea Hunt case on display at the new Visitors Center at Berlin, MD in the summer of
2010. See http://www.nps.gov/archeology/SITES/...assateague.htm The Park Service
has admitted that they do not know if the artifacts came from Spanish shipwrecks. The only
proof that they offer is the decision of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. This is a classic case
of circular logic and a denial of agency responsibility in the matter. They have ignored all
readily available historical documentation about these wrecks in their evaluation of the
shipwreck artifacts. Spain also has failed to offer any independent documentation that they
came from Spanish ships either.
• Amrhein contends that neither Spain nor the United States has any interest in preserving the
historical and archaeological integrity of the shipwreck of La Galga, a the vessel that legend
says brought the present day wild ponies of Assateague here centuries ago. The record is
clear that both countries want Spain to defeat the claims of Odyssey Marine to the treasure
found in 2007 at all costs, even if it means deliberately keeping relevant evidence from the
federal court about the Sea Hunt case or to obey the historic preservation laws already in
effect in this country. Present law demands that the site of La Galga be verified and
evaluated for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
• On December 22, 2009, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
ruled that Odyssey Marine Exploration must surrender the treasure to Spain and cited the Sea
Hunt case in its deliberations in favor of Spain. That case has been appealed to the 11th
Circuit Court of appeals by all claimants. Wreck Diving Magazine has published two articles of interest:
Barney, Benson gave to Peter Knollenberg and Bill Koch Sea Hunt in 1998. Now it is incorporate to Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc. (SEAI).
I was vice-president of SEAI-Spain, but I have resigned to differ in many matters.
Undoubtedly NPS and Robert Bloomberg opposed to the recovery, still having Sea Hunt a Spanish authorization from 2003.
In this whole matter there were very strange things and undoubtedly they prevailed certain interest to sweep with the treasure hunters. There are many rough details that will surely never know.
Claudio, Sovereign Exploration Associates International, is no longer in business. I think the company went belly up 6 months ago.
Barney, Benson gave to Peter Knollenberg and Bill Koch Sea Hunt in 1998. Now it is incorporate to Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc. (SEAI).
I was vice-president of SEAI-Spain, but I have resigned to differ in many matters.
Undoubtedly NPS and Robert Bloomberg opposed to the recovery, still having Sea Hunt a Spanish authorization from 2003.
In this whole matter there were very strange things and undoubtedly they prevailed certain interest to sweep with the treasure hunters. There are many rough details that will surely never know.
Claudio, Sovereign Exploration Associates International, is no longer in business. I think the company went belly up 6 months ago.
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Originally Posted by Claudio
? What a mess. Is anything clear about this?
