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Historic Discovery: Odyssey Marine Hits It Big

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By WALT BELCHER wbelcher

@tampatrib.com

Published: February 5, 2009

A Tampa firm's amazing discovery of a legendary British warship that sank in the English Channel in 1744 can be seen at 10 tonight on the Discovery Channel.

The deep-sea salvage company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, sails into the international spotlight again for another historic find that could yield a billion dollars in rare gold coins.

Odyssey found the wreck of the HMS Victory last summer while a Discovery film crew was on board filming the new reality series "Treasure Quest."

But the find was not announced until Monday - to coincide with tonight's episode.

"I'm surprised we've been able to keep it under wraps for nine months," said Odyssey CEO Greg Stemm, who was on board when the discovery was made.

During a news conference in London, Stemm called it the "most significant shipwreck discovery in history."

"It's the solution to one of the most intriguing naval mysteries in history," he says. "It went down with the most famous admiral of his time. It has the largest collection of bronze cannons in the world on board, and research suggests that it has one of the largest shipments of gold and silver that will likely ever be found on a shipwreck."

Odyssey has not recovered any of the coins yet but - as seen in tonight's episode - they bring up one of the bronze cannons. The cannons were given to the British Defense Ministry and are being restored.

The Victory was armed with as many as 110 bronze cannons, making it one of the deadliest vessels of the age. The largest cannon weighed four tons and could fire cannonballs of 42 pounds - making it the most powerful gun then used in naval warfare.

"Treasure Quest," which debuted on Discovery on Jan. 15, has followed Odyssey's explorations of the English Channel. This mission began in the spring of 2008 and continued into the fall. Winter weather prohibits exploration now, but Odyssey is expected to return to the site this summer.

Ratings for "Treasure Quest" have increased in recent weeks as viewers have discovered the story of the company's hunt for the HMS Victory. Tonight's episode should do well because of all the media attention since Monday.

Stemm says the warship sank in a fierce storm, losing more than 900 men. Reportedly, there were four tons of gold coins on board.

At the wreck, the Odyssey team found human bones, including what appeared to be a rib bone and a skull. None was recovered, the analysis said, and the team's undersea robotic vessel reburied any that had been uncovered.

Odyssey is keeping secret the exact location of the wreck, but the company said Victory was found beyond the territorial waters of Britain.

Reportedly, the company has an agreement with the British government for a percentage of the value of the artifacts and coins.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"30 Rock," 9:30 p.m., NBC

John Hamm of "Mad Men" fame guest stars as a hunky neighbor who excites Liz Lemon (Tina Fey).

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