Fast forward to the late 20th century, and shipwreck-crazy treasure hunter Tommy Gregory Thompson (pictured) had become obsessed with finding the ship and its gold. The ocean engineer from Ohio spent years analysing the route of the vessel and developing the technology to seek it out. By 1988, Thompson and his team were 100% convinced they'd worked out the rough location of the wreck and Thompson persuaded investors to part with $12.5 million to finance an extensive search and salvage operation.