1 week ago
2
THE first treasures from the legendary San José galleon have finally been brought to surface, ten years after the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks” was discovered.
Scientists recovered a bronze cannon, three coins and a porcelain cup from nearly 2,000ft below the Caribbean Sea, where the Spanish warship went down in 1708 after engaging an English fleet.
Sign up for The Sun newsletter
Thank you!
The coveted vessel was located off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia in 2015 and remains a closely guarded state secret.
The San José is believed to be carrying 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds, other precious cargo, potentially worth around £16billion if ever fully recovered, a fortune that has earned it its “Holy Grail” nickname.
The galleon was bound for King Philip V of Spain when it went down, taking all but 11 of its 600 sailors with it.
An underwater drone mission captured images of the cargo scattered in and around the shipwreck.
Read more about the San José
Trinkets were seen twinkling under the light of the cameras as bronze cannons, swords, and clay vessels were spotted on the seafloor.
Historians dubbed it the “Holy Grail” because it was carrying one of the largest amounts of treasure ever lost at sea.
For years, experts believed the 62-gun ship exploded after being ambushed, but Colombian officials now suggest hull damage may have caused its demise.
The wreck remains at the centre of a major international ownership battle, involving Colombia, Spain and US firm Sea Search Armada, which claims it found the ship in 1981 and is seeking £8billion in compensation.
This was denied by former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, who asserted that the Navy had found the vessel at a different location.
Colombia now considers the San Jose as part of its cultural heritage as it was found in their territorial waters.
Current president, leftist Gustavo Petro, has adopted the same line as his predecessors.
Speaking at the presentation of artefacts, Petro said the current expedition is focused on research rather than simple treasure hunting.
He was seen inspecting the newly recovered cannon, which is still in remarkably good nick.
The artefacts will now undergo conservation at a dedicated lab to avoid disintegration.
For years, experts believed the 62-gun ship exploded after being ambushed, but Colombian officials now suggest hull damage may have caused its demise.
The wreck remains at the centre of a major international ownership battle, involving Colombia, Spain and US firm Sea Search Armada, which claims it found the ship in 1981 and is seeking £8billion in compensation.
This was denied by former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, who asserted that the Navy had found the vessel at a different location.
Colombia now considers the San Jose as part of its cultural heritage as it was found in their territorial waters.
Current president, leftist Gustavo Petro, has adopted the same line as his predecessors.
Earlier this year, images emerged showing dozens of coins scattered across the seabed, adding to the evidence linking the wreck to the San José.
Using advanced underwater imaging, archaeologists confirmed the coins are “cobs” and “macuquinas”, hand-struck pieces minted in Lima in 1707, the same year the galleon set sail.
This technique included high-resolution scans of silver coins found near the stern.
Some are stamped with the royal symbols of Castile and León, the emblems of Spain’s empire.
Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza said: “Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins – known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish – served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries,
“The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early eighteenth century. The San José galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics.”
Other riches spotted near the site were Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period 1662 to 1722, and 17th-century cannons dated to 1665.
English (US) · 