Deep-sea explorers find WikiLeaks nugget

TAMPA, Fla. - Deep-sea explorers in Florida are using some of the trove of recently leased WikiLeaks documents to try to force the U.S. government out of their legal battle with Spain over a shipwreck treasure.

Odyssey Marine Exploration of Tampa says documents released by WikiLeaks show the U.S. State Department had offered to help Spain's side in the matter in exchange for help in returning a multimillion-dollar painting -- seized by World War II-era Nazis -- to a U.S. citizen.

Odyssey said Wednesday it filed a motion urging an appeals court to throw out a "friend of the court" brief by the U.S. government supporting Spain's bid for 17 tons of coins raised from a sunken Spanish Colonial-era galleon, known as the Black Swan, off Portugal in 2007.

A federal court ruled for Spain in 2009. Odyssey is appealing. The case is currently in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The State Department had no immediate comment when contacted Wednesday by The Associated Press.

According to the company website, the company announced the Black Swan discovery in 2007. It has yielded more than 500,000 silver coins weighing more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold and other artifacts.

Then Spain filed a claim to the treasure alleging that the coins originated from the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a Spanish vessel which sank in 1804, the website says.

In addition to the Black Swan, Odyssey Marine claims the discovery of a Civil War-era shipwreck, the SS Republic in 2003. It recovered more than 50,000 coins and 14,000 artifacts from the site nearly 1,700 feet deep, its website says.

In February 2009, Odyssey announced the discovery of the HMS Victory.

According to the Odyssey Marine website, the company does deep-sea work for governments and companies as well as the shipwreck search. It has several shipwreck projects under way around the world.