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The Colombian government announced their plans to explore a sunken Spanish ship in the Caribbean from 1708 that may contain valuable treasures such as gold, silver, and emeralds. The estimated worth of the potential findings is up to $20 billion.
The country of Colombia has announced plans to conduct a governmental mission to explore the remains of the San Jose galleon, known as the “holy grail of shipwrecks.”
According to historical records, the vessel contained riches gathered from multiple Spanish territories in South America, such as 100 crates filled with emeralds and countless gold and silver coins.
In 1698, the ship was sent off from the New World to bring treasure to King Philip V of Spain but unfortunately sank in a battle near Barú Island in Cartagena.
According to historians, the vessel came across a group of British ships near Barú and during the resulting fight, the famous ship’s gunpowder stores exploded, leading to its destruction and the deaths of more than 500 crew members.
In 2015, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discovered a sunken galleon. However, no attempts have been made yet to retrieve its treasure.
On Friday, Colombia announced that it will be dedicating approximately $4.5 million solely in 2024 to investigate the sunken galleon.
In order to discourage inexperienced treasure hunters, the government has chosen to keep the whereabouts of the expedition confidential.
The San Jose, a Spanish galleon, sank during a battle in 1708.
Scientists aim to utilize innovative techniques to examine the ocean surrounding the wreckage situated at a depth of approximately 600m (roughly 2,000 ft).
Until now, oceanographers have employed techniques such as measuring sea depth and examining the ocean floor soil in order to determine the most effective methods for retrieving the treasure from the galleon.
The authorities aim to employ submerged robots to retrieve a portion of the riches from the sunken vessel, between April and May.
A video released by the Colombian Navy shows the retrieval of items from the sunken San Jose galleon ship.
This may assist in identifying the status of any treasure retrieved from other areas of the vessel once it surfaces.
The finding of the ship led to a dispute over its ownership, with Spain asserting that the riches were theirs and Bolivia arguing that they belonged to the Qhara Qhara people, who were compelled by Spanish colonizers to mine for valuable metals.
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The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, plans to utilize governmental funds in order to retrieve the wreckage and guarantee that it remains in the country.
The purpose of the expedition is to gain insight into the culture of the time rather than to find hidden riches. It aims to understand the lives of the passengers on board the sunken vessel before it went under.
“History is the treasure,” Juan David Correa, Colombia’s minister of culture, told the Associated Press.
Source: independent.co.uk
