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THE DISCOVERY OF "YAMASHITA'S GOLD"
Oft times when people think of treasure hunters in these modern times, their minds immediately flash to the fictional likes of Indiana Jones. Starting centuries ago, the mystery and excitement of exploring for valuable treasures has captured imaginations and inspired dreams of adventure and discovery. The facts however, go way beyond the wildest imaginations of Hollywood. And for those few knowledgeable, hearty and patient souls, the treasure hunters are alive and well. International news stories about some new amazing discovery of “hidden treasures” are becoming more and more commonplace.

INSERT HERE: SHORT history of the gold

Is all that rumored treasure still out there and can it be recovered if it is?
Take a look at few discoveries in very recent headlines:



Billion Dollar Hindu Treasure In June 2011, a most spectacular treasure consisting of billions in gold and jewels was found in six under-ground chambers of the Sree Padmanab-haswamy Temple, in southern India. The treasure, worth an estimated $12 BILLION, established the temple as one of India's richest. Among the objects found were: gold necklaces weighing 5.5 pounds, a golden bow, a golden rope, bangles, antique silvers, one ton of gold in the shape of rice trinkets, sacks full of diamonds, thousands of pieces of antique jewelry studded with diamonds and emeralds and 37 pounds of gold coins from the East India Company (October 02, 2012, FoxNews.com

On June 28, 2011, a huge stash of gold and silver ornaments was found by laborers who were renovating a centuries-old structure in Nepal. The treasure consists of three boxes full of precious items, including 3kg of gold and 80kg of silver ornaments, which were discovered in a store house that was locked for centuries (MSN News, Wed, 29 Jun 2011).

The Great Odyssey Story


Certainly the biggest news stories in very recent days have been over the recoveries of great and varied treasure found by the Tampa, Florida based deep sea recovery operations “Odyssey”.

On April 15, 2014 at the SS Central America shipwreck site, the dive and gold recovery confirmed that the site has remained untouched since 1991. A full pre-disturbance survey, including photomosaic and multi-beam imaging of the site is current being conducted Senior project manager Andrew Craig said finding the wreck never guaranteed finding the treasure. “We didn’t know where it was," he said. "It really was a case of going through every nook and cranny of the wreck site until we came across it.”(The Today Show, July 23, 2013)

The treasure found so far is currently valued at $77 Million Dollars. Seen above, it began its journey from Colonial India to England in 1941. German U Boats were a tremendous menace to the opposing navies of the world during World War II. A German U-Boat sank the Gairsoppa steel-hulled cargo ship as it sailed off the coast of Ireland. When it sank, the silver fortune was lost to the depths of the ocean until Odyssey began their search 10 years ago. Finding treasure, can be daunting at best even when it’s known to exist and the general area where it can be found. And not just the logistics in locating the treasure trove that present challenges. Treasure hunters are patient, long-suffering, and undaunted adventurers who don’t just hoist a pick axe and look for the big X that marks the spot.