Salvage firm claims huge haul from ship

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TAMPA, Fla., May 18 (UPI) -- A salvage company has recovered more than 17 tons of silver and gold from a ship lost in 1865 off the U.S. coast, the company said Friday.

Odyssey Marine Exploration excavated gold and silver coins worth more than $75 million from a ship it has code-named the Black Swan, said a company statement. The ship is an undisclosed location in the Atlantic Ocean.

All of the items were obtained legally and are being kept in the United States in another undisclosed location, said John Morris, Odyssey Cofounder.

It is the largest collection of coins ever salvaged from a historical shipwreck site, Morris said. The team used deep-sea robots to explore the site, he said.

"We have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed," Morris said. "We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance."