On April 15, the Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered more than 80 pounds of gold from an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of South Carolina using a robot.
The ship carried as much as 21 tons of gold coins, gold ingots and raw gold, and sank in a hurricane traveling from New York to San Francisco. This is the first reconnaissance dive to the S.S. Central America, a 280-foot ship in over 20 years. A team recovered about 2 tons of gold in 1988, which began a long legal battle over the treasure.
The Odyssey was given an exclusive contract to excavate the remains of the ship in March. The treasure recovered includes five gold ingots and two $20 Double Eagle coins with an estimated value of $1.2 million.
Odyssey crews will remain at the site for another five months. The treasure that remains there is estimated to be worth about $85 million, not included the 15 tons of Army bullion rumored to be aboard.
Courtesy of Yahoo! News