On the island of Assateague, along the seacoast of Maryland and Virginia, there is a breed of horses that has run wild for centuries. Legend says they originated from a long lost Spanish galleon. This centuries-old tradition is remembered every year when 50,000 tourists descend on the island of Chincoteague to witness the annual pony swim and auction. This tradition dates back centuries. It became world famous when Marguerite Henry wrote an award winning children’s book called Misty of Chincoteague. In 1961, the book was made into a movie.

On August 18, 1750, the Spanish ships, La Galga, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, El Salvador, Nuestra Senora de Mercedes, Nuestra Senora de Soledad, Nuestra Senora de los Godos, and a Portuguese ship called the San Pedro, cleared Havana, Cuba for Cadiz, Spain, carrying treasure and New World goods. This fleet is known today as the 1750 Spanish Fleet. Several days out they encountered a hurricane as they entered the Gulf Stream and were swept far from their intended course. On September 5, 1750, the  warship La Galga (The Greyhound in English) drove ashore on Assateague and came to rest close to shore and partially submerged. The only people who died were lost swimming ashore. Her captain later described her location as “within two ship lengths of the Maryland and Virginia boundary.” These precise directions seduced many in the future who thought that they could easily find her remains. El Salvador, the Soledad, and the Guadalupe were lost on the Outer banks of North Carolina. The Mercedes was lost north of Cape Charles, Virginia, and Los Godos and San Pedro arrived at Norfolk, Virginia in a crippled state.

In 1980, the author, armed with documents from Spanish and American archives, was convinced like others that he could easily locate the wreck. For two years the wreck eluded him. At the same time he began his search, a con man who was just as convinced, organized his own search. These two would  soon meet.

The con man had a fascination with the wild horses and sunken treasure. In 1977, he fabricated a story about a nonexistent shipwreck he called the San Lorenzo which he claimed was cast away on Assateague in 1820, not only carrying a fortune in treasure, but a cargo a small horses that were the fore fathers of the present herd. His hoax was printed in the Baltimore Sun. Not only did he persuade the general public with his story but the National Park Service as well. Later, the State of Maryland would lay claim to the make-believe ship in federal court. The author soon uncovered the fraud of the San Lorenzo with the help of the National Park Service who acknowledged their mistake, but was thwarted by the Attorney General of Maryland who fought to keep the truth out of the federal court. Contrary to all evidence, the judge awarded the fraudulent shipwreck to the State of Maryland. They reveled in their victory even though it appeared that they knew the ship did not exist.

But the author now knew the truth as well as the National Park Service. He resumed his search for La Galga and with information provided by a descendant of an Assateague Indian, he proved the connection between La Galga and the legendary galleon. This legend then led him and his partners to conclude why he had not been able to find the wreck. It was buried under the island. After discovery in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the author informed the public and the federal government about the wreck’s location. The author and his partners had been motivated to complete their search for the shipwreck by the previous discovery of the 1865 steamboat Bertrand found buried under the Desoto National Wildlife Refuge in 1969 by treasure hunters. There is a museum there today. After notifying federal officials about La Galga, they declined his offer to demonstrate the wreck’s location, stating that they had “no plans to pursue investigation of possible shipwreck sites.”

In 1997, Sea Hunt, Inc. found a wreck in the ocean that he labeled La Galga and then filed claim to the wreck in federal court. The federal government then invited Spain into the litigation to lay claim to the as yet unidentified wreck. At the end of the litigation in 2000, the court had no idea what had been found. The State of Virginia said it wasn't La Galga. The federal court awarded the ship to Spain anyway. That was then.

Today, the author and the Wildlife Service are taking steps toward verification of the the wreck site. In late February, an exploration permit was filed by Gray & Pape, Cultural Resource Consultants, from Richmond, VA.  Because of the Preserve America initiative, this national treasure will someday see the light of day. For now, a model of La Galga is nearly complete and is expected to be on public display in  2008. 

                               Alert!

Because of their dubious victory in 2000, Spain is now citing the case of La Galga as legal precedent in their bid to take $500 million in treasure away from Odyssey Marine Exploration that they recovered from international waters last May. This case goes to trial in the fall of 2008. On February 21, 2008 Odyssey assumed custody of a treasure ship located off of the coast of North Carolina formerly located and claimed by BDJ Discovery Group. Will Spain assert a claim?

You can read more about this at www.merchantroyalshipwreck.com and www.historyhuntersinternational.org. Come visit me at the beautiful  Outer Banks of North Carolina.