Odyssey Marine Exploration’s SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure Drops Anchor at Discovery Place

Museum’s newly-renovated exhibition hall debuts with new exhibition Saturday, July 4.

June 16, 2009

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Guests can dive into the world of underwater exploration when SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure drops anchor at Discovery Place on Saturday, July 4. The Museum’s newest exhibition comes directly from Odyssey Marine Exploration (NasdaqCM: OMEX), the world leader in the field of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration and will be showcased in the Museum’s newly-renovated, traveling exhibition hall.

After previous successful engagements in New Orleans, LA and Tampa, FL, Detroit, MI and Oklahoma City, OK - Charlotte is the fifth destination of Odyssey’s multi-media, traveling exhibition which blends historic artifacts, sunken treasure and hands-on, educational, interactive elements. Visitors can plunge into the experience, the research, archaeological recovery and conservation involved in the quest for deep-sea knowledge and treasures.
SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure takes visitors on a thrilling adventure thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean and hundreds of years back in time. The nearly 11, 000 square-foot exhibition features hundreds of artifacts recovered from actual Odyssey deep-ocean archaeological excavations which tell captivating stories about each shipwreck and life during the time of the sinking.

“We’re thrilled to bring SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure to Discovery Place, which is one of the top science museums in the country,” said John Longley, Director of Business Development for Odyssey Marine Exploration. “We’re looking forward to sharing the research, science and technology behind our shipwreck expeditions and sharing the artifacts and treasures we’ve recovered from the SS Republic and other shipwrecks with Discovery Place visitors. With North Carolina’s rich shipwreck history, this exhibition is a perfect match for Discovery Place.”

The exhibition displays authentic artifacts and information from many different shipwrecks including the “Blue China,” which contains the remains of a 17th century unidentified American costal trader and a 17th Century Spanish shipwreck, code-named the “Tortugas” wreck.

The spotlight of the exhibition is the SS Republic, America’s most-famous Civil War-Era shipwreck. The ship sank during a hurricane off the coast of Georgia in 1865. Discovered again in the summer of 2003 nearly 1,700 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, the recovery effort became the world’s most extensive, deep-ocean, archaeological excavation. More than 51,000 gold and silver coins were recovered along with approximately 14,000 additional Civil War-era artifacts.

“SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure is the perfect exhibition to debut the first, renovated section of the Museum,” said John Mackay, president and CEO for Discovery Place. “This exhibition blends cutting-edge science with real-world history which is indicative of the kind of topical science we plan to present in this transformation of the new Discovery Place.”

Families navigating through the exhibition can discover what it takes to be a deep-ocean explorer, learn about the research, technology, archaeological recovery and conservation involved in the quest for deep-sea knowledge and treasures and battle the forces of nature in a 75-mph hurricane tube. Additionally, guests can walk the plank to get an up-close look at the world of pirates, including the legend of North Carolina’s most notorious pirate, Blackbeard.

Visitors can complete their underwater experience with Under the Sea: The IMAX Experience. Narrated by Jim Carrey, the deep-sea adventure transports moviegoers to some of the most exotic and isolated undersea locations on earth and allows them to experience face-to-face encounters with some of the mysterious and stunning creatures of the sea.

SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure is on display at Discovery Place from July 4, 2009 — Jan. 31, 2010 and is free with Museum admission. Ticket pricing is: $10 for adults (14-59); $8 for children (2-13) and seniors (60+); and free for children younger than 2. Tickets can be purchased online at discoveryplace.org; in person at the Museum or by calling 877-849-4377. Group discounts and reservations are available.

For more information on pricing or programming, call 704-372-6261, ext. 300 or visit discoveryplace.org.

SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure is sponsored by Wachovia (Education Sponsor), Food Lion (Supporting Sponsor), Optima Engineering and Moore & Van Allen (Corporate Patrons), Midrex Technologies and Diamond Springs Water (Special Event Sponsors) and The Charlotte Observer (Media Sponsor).

About Odyssey Marine Exploration
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NasdaqCM: OMEX) is engaged in the exploration of deep-ocean shipwrecks and uses innovative methods and state-of-the-art technology to conduct extensive search and archaeological recovery operations around the world. Odyssey discovered the Civil War-era shipwreck of the SS Republic in 2003 and recovered over 51,000 coins and 14,000 artifacts from the site nearly 1,700 feet deep. In May 2007, the Company announced the historic deep-ocean treasure recovery of over 500,000 silver and gold coins, weighing 17 tons, from a Colonial-era site code-named “Black Swan.” In February 2009, Odyssey announced the discovery of Balchin’s HMS Victory. The Company also has other shipwreck projects in various stages of development around the world.

Odyssey offers various ways to share in the excitement of deep-ocean exploration by making shipwreck treasures and artifacts available to collectors, the general public and students through its webstore, exhibits, books, television, merchandise, and educational programs.

JWM Productions is currently filming Odyssey’s operations in the “Atlas” search area in preparation of a second season of Discovery Channel’s: “Treasure Quest” series. The 12-episode Season One aired in the US and the UK in early 2009 and is scheduled to air worldwide throughout 2009.

For details on the Company’s activities and its commitment to the preservation of maritime heritage please visit www.shipwreck.net.

For more detailed information on Odyssey, please contact Odyssey’s Corporate Communications department at 813-876-1776.

About Discovery Place
Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum’s parking garage - the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex - at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place, guests should call 704- 372-6261 or visit discoveryplace.org.

One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that foster experiences in areas that range from life science to marine biology. More than a half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place, its IMAX Dome Theatre and Charlotte Nature Museum each year. Discovery Place is supported, in part, with a Basic Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council.

For More Information:
Natividad Lewis, Discovery Place, 704-348-1972

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