ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION INC

Odyssey was founded in 1994 by shipwreck exploration pioneers Greg Stemm and John Morris.

Between 1998 and 2001, Odyssey Marine Exploration searched for HMS Sussex and stated that it believed it had located the shipwreck off Gibraltar at a depth of 821 metres. The English ship sank in a storm in 1694 during the War of the Grand Alliance as it was transporting 10 tons of gold coins to buy the allegiance of the Duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II, against France.

Odyssey’s first big treasure discovery came in 2003 when they found the Civil War-Era shipwreck of Republic. An extensive archaeological excavation was conducted that included a pre- disturbance survey and around 2,500 underwater high-resolution images captured and used to create a photomosaic of the entire site. Over 51,000 gold and silver coins were recovered from the site [ dubious – discuss ] as well as 14,000 artifacts. Six archaeological reports were written about the shipwreck project and two books were published, Lost Gold of the Republic and Bottles from the Deep. PBS and National Geographic also aired documentaries on the discovery.

The company has also discovered several less famous shipwrecks of archaeological importance including one code-named “ Blue China ” a 19th Century trading vessel found in 2005 during the company’s search for the Republic. When Odyssey returned to the site in 2005, an extensive amount of post-wreck destruction caused by modern fishing trawl nets dragged over the site was noted. The company moved forward with creating a photomosaic and recovering the remaining artifacts before further destruction occurred.

In December 2005, Odyssey began an archaeological investigation of the site believed to be HMS Sussex. The company adhered to the project plan submitted and accepted by the Sussex Archaeological Executive, a committee of archaeological consultants approved by the UK Government. As of 2009, Odyssey had completed Phase 1A (the non-disturbance survey) and a substantial portion of Phase 1B (trial excavation of the site believed to be HMS Sussex ) to the satisfaction of the UK Government.

In early June 2006, Odyssey provided clarification to Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the offices of the embassy of the United Kingdom and awaited final comments on the plan before resuming operations on the shipwreck believed to be that of the Sussex. In March 2007, Andalusia gave its assent for the excavation to start with the condition that Spanish archaeologists take part in order to ascertain that the shipwreck to be excavated was indeed the Sussex and not a Spanish vessel. While waiting for Andalusia to appoint an archaeologist to participate in the Sussex expedition, the company began operations on the " Black Swan " excavation. In 2009, Odyssey Marine Exploration published an archaeological report on the Sussex project and the groundbreaking work they had completed to date.