Shipwreck 'could yield billions'

British naval experts and American marine archaeologists have discovered a sunken 17th Century warship near the Strait of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean. They say the remains of the ship are very likely to be those of the Sussex, a British naval vessel, which may contain treasure worth billions of dollars.

American explorers working for a Florida-based company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, say they located Sussex on the basis of items retrieved from the seabed.

Remote-controlled robots recovered important pieces of identification - a cannon and ball lying on the bottom of the sea, 800 metres down. Marine historians at the British Ministry of Defence are almost certain they are dealing with the Sussex. Documentary evidence led historians to conclude the ship was carrying 10 tonnes in gold or 100 tonnes in silver coins in her hold on her final voyage in 1694. The value of her treasure could total $4bn.

The Sussex sank in a vioient storm on her way to the Duke of Savoy whom Britain needed as an ally in a war against France. Even if the wreck does not yield treasures, it is still a major historical find, as Lieutenant-Commander James Jenkin, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defence, explains: "There are very few examples in the artefact field that exist from a naval wreck of that period and clearly we would be very interested in any recovered.

The Odyssey salvage experts have already offered their services to the Ministry of Defence. They started looking for the Sussex in 1995. The hunt has cost them $3m so far. The British Government and Odyssey are currently planning the logistics for a joint salvage operation. It is standard practice in the salvaging business for the finder to receive the lion's share of any valuables. Odyssey could therefore expect to receive a fortune.

DAILY N E W S , 26 . 11 . 04 .

Paddling policeman grabs record

A Cornish police sergeant has paddled into the record books after completing his solo 4,500-mile voyage around the British Isles and Ireland. A crowd of supporters cheered as the traffic officer arrived back at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. He became the first person to paddle round the seaward side of every inhabited island that makes up Great Britain and Ireland in a sea kayak.

Sgt Morley, 39, from St Erth, has been paddling for nearly six months. He was flanked by local canoeists and an RNLI lifeboat as he paddled into Falmouth to be met by his wife, Linda, and scores of well-wishers, including

a Cornish male voice choir. After joining in a rendition of the song 'Home from the sea', Sgt Morley said: "It's wonderful to be home. It has been a wonderful trip - in some ways I wouldn't want it to end, but it's good to be here."

Sgt Morley spoke about the hospitality offered by the people he met along the way, joking: "If I had stopped with everybody who offered to put me up, I would still be out there." He said he hopes to publish a book about his epic journey, to be called Keep the Land On the Right. He will return to work on Friday, but is already planning further expeditions, including the first circumnavigation of the remote island of South Georgia in the Southern Ocean.

Since leaving Cornwall on, the traffic officer has battled Force Eight gales, encountered whales and sharks. His route has taken him around the Isles of Sally, the Aran Islands and the Orkney Islands. He had hoped to include the gruelling 65-mile crossing to the Channel Islands in his epic journey, but treacherous weather conditions made the attempt too dangerous. Fellow adventurer Pete Goss, who lives nearby in Devon, praised Sgt Morley's "amazing" achievement. He said: "I know from experience that it is quite a challenge to sail round Britain. "The weather and tidal conditions make it difficult for even the most experienced seafarer in a well-found yacht. Achieving this alone in a kayak around some of the remotest parts of the country is quite amazing. The combination of physical, mental and emotional strain he has put himself through over the last six months is incredible."

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