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The Colombian government announced its intention to search for a sunken Spanish galleon from 1708 in the Caribbean, which is believed to contain valuable treasures such as gold, silver, and emeralds worth an estimated $20 billion.
The country of Colombia has announced plans to embark on a government-led mission to explore the remains of the San Jose galleon, also known as the “holy grail of shipwrecks.”
Based on historical documents, it is believed that the vessel held riches acquired from multiple Spanish colonies in South America. These treasures included 100 chests containing emeralds and numerous gold and silver coins.
The vessel was set off in 1698 but was sunk during a conflict near Barú Island in the south of Cartagena. It was on its way from the New World to King Philip V’s court in Spain and was carrying valuable treasures for the royal treasury.
According to historians, the ship came across a British squadron close to Barú and during the resulting fight, the famous galleon’s gunpowder stores exploded, causing its destruction and the death of more than 500 crew members.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution previously discovered the sunken galleon in 2015, but its treasure has not been recovered as of yet.
On Friday, Colombia announced that it will allocate approximately $4.5 million solely in 2024 to search for the galleon.
The government is not revealing the expedition’s location in order to discourage unskilled treasure seekers.
In 1708, the Spanish Galleon San Jose was lost in battle and sunk.
Scientists are eager to utilize innovative technology in order to investigate the underwater area surrounding the sunken ship, which lies at a depth of approximately 600m (equivalent to approximately 2,000 ft).
Until now, oceanographers have employed techniques such as analyzing sea depth and studying the ocean floor’s soil to determine the most effective methods for retrieving the galleon’s cargo.
The government is devising a strategy to utilize submersible robots in recovering a portion of the treasure from the sunken ship, scheduled for extraction between April and May.
A video released by the Colombian Navy shows the retrieval of items from the shipwreck of the San Jose galleon.
This may assist in determining the potential condition of treasures from other areas of the ship upon removal from the water.
The finding of the ship triggered a struggle for possession, as Spain asserted their rights to the bounty while Bolivia argued that the riches rightfully belonged to the Qhara Qhara people who were coerced by Spanish settlers into mining for valuable metals.
President Gustavo Petro of Colombia intends to utilize the government’s own funds in efforts to retrieve the wreckage and safely keep it within the nation’s borders.
Authorities state that the voyage is being organized with a focus on cultural motivations rather than the pursuit of sunken riches. The primary goal is to gain insight into the experiences of the hundreds who were aboard before the ship’s sinking.
“History is the treasure,” Juan David Correa, Colombia’s minister of culture, told the Associated Press.
Source: independent.co.uk
