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Treasure Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked & Abandoned Sailing Vessel

569 F.2d 330, 1978 AMC 1404 (1978)

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Treasure Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked & Abandoned Sailing Vessel

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
569 F.2d 330, 1978 AMC 1404 (1978)

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Facts

Treasure Salvors, Inc., and Armada Research Corp. (Treasure Salvors) (plaintiffs) filed suit to establish ownership and title to a shipwreck located off the coast of the Florida Keys. The federal government (defendant) intervened to assert title over the shipwreck. The shipwreck, which was believed to be the extremely valuable remains of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha that sank in 1622, was discovered on the continental shelf beyond American territorial waters by Treasure Salvors in 1971. Treasure Salvors had invested several years and over $2 million into the search and had already retrieved approximately $6 million worth of artifacts from the wreckage. The federal government claimed authority over the shipwreck by virtue of the Antiquities Act in conjunction with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The district court granted summary judgment to Treasure Salvors, and the federal government appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Gewin, J.)

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