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Man "Finds" Treasure Ship Using Google Earth

by Dan Reilly on February 10, 2009 at 02:19 PM


Well, apparently Google Earth has more uses than letting you fly around your virtual neighborhood. A Los Angeles man used the program to find what he believes is a legendary Spanish sailboat filled with gold and silver.

Nathan Smith started his treasure hunt after reading about the ship, which legend says grounded on the shore of Refugio, Texas during an 1822 hurricane. He started searching the area using Google Earth and believes he found something in a Texas waterway. He visited the site and used a metal detector to find what he claims are readings of silver and gold. Unfortunately for Smith, there are a few problems in his quest.

First, there's no proof that ship even existed, and if it did, that it was carrying any treasure. Second, the site of Smith's find is on private property and the owners don't want anyone destroying their land searching for a myth. Smith is currently in court trying to get the rights to dig there based on maritime law. Third, the gulf of Mexico's murky water makes it difficult and extremely expensive to find anything, so he'll need investors. Fourth, the state has already claimed whatever abandoned ships rest there.



So, we'll be waiting to see if Smith can be successful. Unfortunately, all the photos and Google Earth maps of the site are sealed under court order, so we have no way to evaluate his assertions. However, we think it would be really cool if he found some sweet treasure. [From: ABCNews]

Tags: google earth, GoogleEarth, top, treasure, treasure hunting, TreasureHunting

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