The State : Lost Spanish Galleon Found

A Spanish galleon that sank in a storm nearly 400 years ago with a treasure of gold and Ming porcelain has been found at the bottom of Drakes Bay in Northern California, a treasure hunter said. “I’ve found it,” said Robert Marx. “It’s been the dream of 39 years. I’m convinced. I’m 95% sure.” Marx said he believes he detected the remains of the galleon San Agustin with a sophisticated magnetometer during a sweep of the bay north of San Francisco on Wednesday. The San Agustin was one of four galleons that sailed nearly four centuries ago from the Philippines for Acapulco with a stopover in Northern California to deliver a small schooner for exploring the coast. But the San Agustin capsized in a storm, killing 12 crew members, and the survivors used the schooner to sail to Mexico. The next step is to get state and federal permission to bore test holes to determine the depth of the vessel before attempting recovery efforts, he said. But that could take a year or more, officials said.