Ship treasure ordered back to Spain will leave this week from MacDill

TAMPA — After a nearly five-year legal struggle, 17 tons of shipwreck treasure wrested away from Tampa explorers will leave the United States from MacDill Air Force Base this week, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The base said in a statement that it is cooperating with Spanish government officials in the transfer of the 594,000 silver coins and other artifacts that were brought to the surface off the Portuguese coast and flown back to Tampa by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007.

The company lost every round in federal courts as it tried to hold on to the treasure. It is estimated to be worth about $500 million, the richest shipwreck in history.

"The U.S. Air Force has an excellent relationship with the Spanish Air Force, and we are working closely with them to ensure a safe and secure mission," said the statement, which disclosed few details beyond the fact that Spain is sending two C-130 transport planes to haul the cargo.

Citing security concerns, no one is talking about the timing of moving the coins, but James Goold, a Washington lawyer who represented the Spanish government, told a federal judge last week that the items would be trucked out of the secure facility where they've been stored and on their way to Spain by Friday.