The Hatchards Podcast
The Hatchards Podcast
Ryan Edgington
Julian Sancton on Neptune’s Fortune: Castro, Cousteau, and a Billion-Pound Treasure
47 minutes Posted Feb 17, 2026 at 12:14 pm.
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Show notes
On this episode, we’re joined by Julian Sancton, the investigative journalist and author of Neptune’s Fortune, which brings us into the world of 20th-century treasure hunting and the search for a Spanish galleon containing over a billion pounds’ worth of gold and silver. At the center of this story is Roger Dooley, a larger-than-life Cuban American archaeologist who dedicated his life to finding it.


Julian tells us how he gained access to this world of colourful characters, why stories of the sea continue to motivate his writing life, and how he shaped a story that combines adventure, geopolitics, and centuries of maritime history.


Hosted by Ryan Edgington.