FloridaFuture
June 2nd, 2007, 02:20 AM
Odyssey May Showcase Sunken Treasure In Tampa
By RUSSELL RAY, The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 1, 2007
TAMPA - Odyssey Marine Exploration, which recently recovered a large sunken treasure in the Atlantic Ocean, says it's considering opening a museum in Tampa to showcase some of those items.
The Tampa-based deep-sea exploration and salvage company said last month it recovered 500,000 gold and silver coins from a shipwreck code-named Black Swan. Odyssey thinks it may be the richest deep-sea find in history and may be worth $500 million.
In addition to trying to develop TV and movie projects, Odyssey is working to launch a museum for its deep-sea finds, perhaps in Tampa, Mark Gordon, Odyssey's executive vice president, told News Channel 8.
'It's quite possible that we'll have a permanent location here,' Gordon said. 'We're also investigating other markets. Our plan is to open multiple fixed attractions within the next two to three years.'
Such an attraction could generate more tourists and their dollars to the Tampa area, said Travis Claytor, spokesman for the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.
'Tampa Bay is synonymous with pirates and ships. Opening up that type of museum would fit visitors' perception of us,' Claytor said. 'Other museums of that sort have been successful throughout Florida.'
The Titanic Museum, a two-story attraction in Branson, Mo., has lured thousands of people, said co-owner Mary Kellogg.
'We've only been open a year, and we've had over 575,000 guests come through,' Kellogg said.
The location of any fixed attraction would be based on a number of factors, Odyssey said in a statement. The company said there is a universal fascination with shipwrecks and sunken treasures and the stories behind them.
What's more, some of the Black Swan artifacts could be placed on public display in an exhibit that runs from June 22 to Jan. 31 at Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry, Gordon said. The case for a permanent museum would be helped if the traveling exhibit draws a big crowd, Claytor said.
But before artifacts from Black Swan are displayed publicly, Odyssey may have to clear up some of the legal issues surrounding the treasure's rightful owner.
Odyssey transported the loot to the United States. This week, however, Spain made a claim for the treasure, which may be worth $500 million. If the treasure is from a ship that sank while in the service of Spain, the loot would belong to Spain, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa.
News reports from London indicate that British officials think the shipwreck Odyssey discovered is the Merchant Royal, a British cargo ship that sank off Land's End near the English Channel. The vessel was carrying several tons of coins from Spain to Belgium to pay the Spanish army.
Odyssey continues to withhold the location of the shipwreck, which it says bears the characteristics of a specific vessel. Odyssey refuses to disclose the ship's name.
Shares in the company closed down 20 cents to $6.60 on the American Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jun/01/bz-odyssey-may-showcase-sunken-treasure-in-tampa/?news-money
By RUSSELL RAY, The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 1, 2007
TAMPA - Odyssey Marine Exploration, which recently recovered a large sunken treasure in the Atlantic Ocean, says it's considering opening a museum in Tampa to showcase some of those items.
The Tampa-based deep-sea exploration and salvage company said last month it recovered 500,000 gold and silver coins from a shipwreck code-named Black Swan. Odyssey thinks it may be the richest deep-sea find in history and may be worth $500 million.
In addition to trying to develop TV and movie projects, Odyssey is working to launch a museum for its deep-sea finds, perhaps in Tampa, Mark Gordon, Odyssey's executive vice president, told News Channel 8.
'It's quite possible that we'll have a permanent location here,' Gordon said. 'We're also investigating other markets. Our plan is to open multiple fixed attractions within the next two to three years.'
Such an attraction could generate more tourists and their dollars to the Tampa area, said Travis Claytor, spokesman for the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.
'Tampa Bay is synonymous with pirates and ships. Opening up that type of museum would fit visitors' perception of us,' Claytor said. 'Other museums of that sort have been successful throughout Florida.'
The Titanic Museum, a two-story attraction in Branson, Mo., has lured thousands of people, said co-owner Mary Kellogg.
'We've only been open a year, and we've had over 575,000 guests come through,' Kellogg said.
The location of any fixed attraction would be based on a number of factors, Odyssey said in a statement. The company said there is a universal fascination with shipwrecks and sunken treasures and the stories behind them.
What's more, some of the Black Swan artifacts could be placed on public display in an exhibit that runs from June 22 to Jan. 31 at Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry, Gordon said. The case for a permanent museum would be helped if the traveling exhibit draws a big crowd, Claytor said.
But before artifacts from Black Swan are displayed publicly, Odyssey may have to clear up some of the legal issues surrounding the treasure's rightful owner.
Odyssey transported the loot to the United States. This week, however, Spain made a claim for the treasure, which may be worth $500 million. If the treasure is from a ship that sank while in the service of Spain, the loot would belong to Spain, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa.
News reports from London indicate that British officials think the shipwreck Odyssey discovered is the Merchant Royal, a British cargo ship that sank off Land's End near the English Channel. The vessel was carrying several tons of coins from Spain to Belgium to pay the Spanish army.
Odyssey continues to withhold the location of the shipwreck, which it says bears the characteristics of a specific vessel. Odyssey refuses to disclose the ship's name.
Shares in the company closed down 20 cents to $6.60 on the American Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jun/01/bz-odyssey-may-showcase-sunken-treasure-in-tampa/?news-money