Odyssey Marine Exploration ran into some good luck on the open ocean this summer. Shortly after our feature story "The Bounty Hunter" (Wired 11.09) hit newsstands, the company announced that it had located the Bavaria shipwreck in 1,640-foot waters off the coast of Georgia.
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Kenn Brown Jackpot: The Republic hold $150 million in gold.
The side-wheel steamship was actually christened the SS Republic; Bavaria was a code name the company used until it secured legal right to the vessel's cargo, which could be worth $150 million. The craft went down in 1865, foundering in a hurricane while transporting gold coins from New York to New Orleans. The excavation, scheduled for September, will delay Odyssey's other major project – recovering the HMS Sussex off Spain. While the Sussex bounty promises to be nearly seven times as lucrative, the Republic recovery should be simpler. The wreck isn't subject to claims from governments or insurance companies, so Odyssey doesn't have to split any loot it finds. And the site isn't far from the company's Tampa, Florida, home base.
That $150 million could go a long way toward funding future ventures. While scouting out the Republic, the Odyssey crew inspected 24 targets in the area. At least one other (code name: Blue China) appears to be valuable. "If we get lucky," says Odyssey cofounder Greg Stemm, "we could have a hat trick this year."
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| Something Completely Different
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| The Only Thing I’ve Copied Is My Lawyer!
| Striking Gold at 1,640 Feet Below
