Man 'finds' buried Spanish treasure ship using Google Earth

London, February 11 (ANI): A treasure hunter is thankful to Google Earth for allegedly helping him find a buried ship crammed with treasure.

Nathan Smith, a musician from Los Angeles, revealed that he used the popular satellite imaging service to hunt for the lost gold and silver cargo of a Spanish ship that had reportedly hit the shores of Texas in 1822.

He further claimed having zoomed in on the shoeprint-like-shape near the area where the ship was said to have run ashore.

After having consulted experts, Smith visited the site with a metal detector and believed that he had literally struck gold with his finding of the buried vessel.

He is now locked in a legal battle with the ranch's owners over the excavation of the site that he claimed could be holding riches worth 3 billion dollars.

However, Ron Walker, the attorney representing the ranch owners, said that the claim was totally unfounded.

"It was offensive that somebody could go on Google Earth, look down and see what they think under the ground...and come in and say I want to dig up your property. They have no proof anything is there and no experience," the Telegraph quoted him as telling ABC News. (ANI)