Spanish Ambassador Press Conference

Jorge Dezcallar de Mazar, Spanish Ambassador to the United States, holds a press conference in reference to Spanish coins being transferred to the Spanish government, Feb. 24, 2012, on MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. The coins, which were lost at sea in the 19th century, were palletized and shipped back to Spain on two Spanish C-130 aircraft. (U. S. Air Force photo by Airman Basic David Tracy)

Spanish Ambassador Press Conference

Col. Lenny Richoux, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, shakes hands with the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Jorge Dezcaller de Mazar, following a press conference regarding the coin transfer to the Spanish government, Feb. 24, 2012, on MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. The coins, which were lost at sea in the 19th century, were palletized and shipped back to Spain on two Spanish C-130 aircraft. (U. S. Air Force photo by Airman Basic David Tracy)

Spanish Ambassador Press Conference

Local anchors from Bay News 9 and Fox 13 news stations give live broadcasts in front of two Spanish C-130 aircraft, Feb. 24, 2011, on MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. The aircraft were holding $500 million worth of Spanish coins, which were lost at sea in the 19th century and recovered in 2007. (U.S Air Force photo by Airman Basic David Tracy)

MacDill Airmen help send "treasure" back to Spain

Published Feb. 27, 2012
By Senior Airman Rachelle Coleman
6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida -- Two Spanish Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft departed MacDill Air Force Base this afternoon after being loaded with approximately 17 metric tons, or approximately $500 million, of Spanish gold and silver coins.

Two aircraft were dispatched by the Spanish Government to retrieve the coins that were lost at sea in the 19th century. MacDill brought the full complement of support for its coalition partners -- to include flight operations, logistical, security, and public affairs support.

Led by Lt. Col. Leslie Maher, 6th Operations Support Squadron commander, a team of Airmen joined together to coordinate the transfer of the "treasure" from a storage facility in Sarasota, Fla. to the runway at MacDill.

"Coordination for this effort was crucial at all levels -- from the nation-to-nation level, to the tactical execution level," said Maher. "All parties had to be working from the same page, while keeping the right level of operational security intact. I personally worked with 19 different agencies to ensure the operation went without a hitch."

After the "treasure" arrived at the base, Airmen palletized the half-a-billion dollars worth of Spanish coins and put them on the waiting aircraft.

"Mobilizing cargo is one of our core competencies - we have some of the world's finest logisticians, and Spain could be assured we would do a first class job with a full-range of operations and security support," said Maher.

To the 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron, this mission was simple but important.

"Other than the approximated value and high-visibility of the cargo, preparing cargo is pretty much standard across the board," said Master Sgt. Gilchrist Eggleston Jr., 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron, small air terminal section chief.

"From the cargo support side, the mission required personnel with experience in cargo processing to include pallet build-up and documentation, to ensure the cargo was configured to specifications of the aircraft in which it was being loaded," said Eggleston. "Personnel with load planning experience were also needed to ensure the aircraft's load fell within the aircraft's limitations to ensure safety of flight."

As planned, the aircraft left MacDill, accomplishing all of this without hindering normal operations.

The gold was found by the Odyssey Marine Exploration treasure hunting corporation in 2007. Odyssey recovered the treasure from the Atlantic Ocean floor after finding the wreck off the coast of Portugal with a remote-controlled underwater robot.