Decisions by American courts on sunken Spanish ships have followed different approaches. Some have applied the so-called admiralty law and granted ownership rights to the finder. Others have assimilated wrecks to natural resources of the continental shelf, thereby falling under the sovereign rights of the coastal State. Others have found that Spain retains title over Spanish galleons that are to be considered as State-owned ships. Others have declined jurisdiction because of the immunity of Spain before American courts. What all decisions have in common is that they show how inappropriate it would be to apply admiralty law (salvage law and law of finds) to sunken wrecks and their cargo. It would correspond to the triumph of the first-come-first-served principle (or the freedom-of-fishing principle) for the benefit of commercial gain, without any care for the preservation of the heritage and the position of States which have a special link with it.

中文翻译：

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在美国法院面前沉没的西班牙船只

美国法院对沉没的西班牙船只的裁决采取了不同的方法。有些人适用了所谓的海事法，并授予发现者所有权。其他人则将沉船同化为大陆架的自然资源，因此属于沿海国的主权权利。其他人发现西班牙保留对被视为国有船舶的西班牙大帆船的所有权。由于西班牙在美国法院享有豁免权，其他国家拒绝了管辖权。所有决定的共同点是，它们表明将海事法（打捞法和发现法）适用于沉船及其货物是多么不合适。这将对应于先来先服务原则（或捕鱼自由原则）的商业利益的胜利，