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SEA HUNT v. UNIDENTIFIED SHIPWRECKED VESSEL

Nos. 99-2035, 99-2036.

221 F.3d 634 (2000)

SEA HUNT, INCORPORATED, Plaintiff-Appellee, and Commonwealth of Virginia, Intervenor-Appellee, v. THE UNIDENTIFIED SHIPWRECKED VESSEL OR VESSELS, Their Apparel, Tackle, Appurtenances, and Cargo Located within Coordinates 38 Degrees 01' 36" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 14' 33" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 57' 21" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 13' 00" West Longitude; 38 Degrees 01' 36" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 13' 14" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 57' 33" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 17' 44" West Longitude and/or 37 Degrees 55' 00" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 19' 18" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 54' 09" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 17' 00" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 51' 21" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 18' 52" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 52' 20" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 21' 05" West Longitude, in rem, Defendant, Kingdom of Spain, Claimant-Appellant, and Commonwealth of Virginia, ex rel William A. Pruitt, Commissioner of Marine Resources and Chairman of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission; Alpha Quest Corporation; Richard L. Cook, an individual resident of Ocean City, Maryland, Claimants, and United States of America; Columbus-America Discovery Group; Salvors, Incorporated; Cobb Coin Company, Incorporated; Intersal, Incorporated; Enterprise Marine, Incorporated; Quicksilver, Incorporated; Deep Sea Research, Incorporated; State of North Carolina, Amici Curiae. Sea Hunt, Incorporated, Plaintiff-Appellant, and Commonwealth of Virginia, Intervenor-Plaintiff, v. The Unidentified Shipwrecked Vessel or Vessels, Their Apparel, Tackle, Appurtenances, and Cargo Located Within Coordinates 38 Degrees 01' 36" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 14' 33" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 57' 21" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 13' 00" West Longitude; 38 Degrees 01' 36" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 13' 14" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 57' 33" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 17' 44" West Longitude and/or 37 Degrees 55' 00" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 19' 18" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 54' 09" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 17' 00" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 51' 21" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 18' 52" West Longitude; 37 Degrees 52' 20" North Latitude, 75 Degrees 21' 05" West Longitude, in rem, Defendant, Kingdom of Spain, Claimant-Appellee, and Commonwealth of Virginia, ex rel William A. Pruitt, Commissioner of Marine Resources and Chairman of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission; Alpha Quest Corporation; Richard L. Cook, an individual resident of Ocean City, Maryland, Claimants, and United States of America; Columbus-America Discovery Group; Salvors, Incorporated; Cobb Coin Company, Incorporated; Intersal, Incorporated; Enterprise Marine, Incorporated; Quicksilver, Incorporated; Deep Sea Research, Incorporated; State of North Carolina, Amici Curiae.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided July 21, 2000

Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: James Alexander Goold, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C., for Appellant. Richard Alan Olderman, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Curiae United States. William Henry Hurd, Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; David Jeremy Bederman, Atlanta, Georgia, for Appellees. ON BRIEF: Robert A. Long, Jr., Kevin C. Newsom, William C. Muffett, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C., for Appellant. David W. Ogden, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Helen F. Fahey, United States Attorney, Robert S. Greenspan, Barbara A. O'Malley, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Curiae United States. Anthony Francis Troy, David K. Sutelan, Mays & Valentine, Richmond, Virginia; Peter E. Hess, Wilmington, Delaware, for Appellee Sea Hunt. Richard T. Robol, Columbus, Ohio, for Amicus Curiae Columbus-America. Patrick M. Brogan, Davey & Brogan, P.C., Norfolk, Virginia, for Amici Curiae Salvors, et al. Michael F. Easley, North Carolina Attorney General, Ronald M. Marquette, Special Deputy Attorney General, Charles J. Murray, Special Deputy Attorney General, North Carolina Department of Justice, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Amicus Curiae North Carolina.

Before WILKINSON, Chief Judge, and LUTTIG and MICHAEL, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed in part and reversed in part by published opinion. Chief Judge WILKINSON wrote the opinion, in which Judge LUTTIG and Judge MICHAEL joined.

OPINION

WILKINSON, Chief Judge:

This in rem admiralty action concerns the sovereign rights of the Kingdom of Spain to two of its Royal Naval vessels, LA GALGA and JUNO, which were lost off the shores of present-day Virginia in 1750 and 1802 respectively. Pursuant to the Abandoned Shipwreck Act...

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