A sunken ship, with innumerable riches on board, is what Nathan Smith of Los Angeles set out to find with Google Earth. He speculated that the wreck of the Spanish merchant ship Barquentine, which had been carrying gold worth about $3 billion (€2.2 billion), lay on the ocean floor near the Texan harbor city of Corpus Christi.
Without further delay, the musician made his way to Texas, only to find out that his possible treasure lay on someone else's private property. Now the courts must decide who is entitled to the bonanza -- although it is not yet confirmed if there is any treasure to salvage.
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2009
All Rights Reserved
Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
