New treasure photos could be best proof that £15bn ‘richest wreck in history' has been discovered
Images taken from the depths of the Caribbean are the clearest evidence yet that a 300-year-old shipwreck worth £15bn has been located, researchers say.
The 'richest wreck in history' the Spanish galleon San Jose, was transporting treasure from Peru to Spain to finance the Spanish side of the War of the Spanish Succession when it was intercepted by the British Navy in 1708.
The treasure-laden ship, which was loaded with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth as much as $20bn (£15bn), sank and was not seen again.
It wasn't until 2015 that a wreck was identified by the Colombian navy, but it was not conclusively proven to be the San Jose.
But new sophisticated underwater imaging has analysed some of the cargo on the sunken ship 600m below the surface of the Colombian Caribbean Sea.
In the study, published in the journal Antiquity, researchers used a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to capture high-resolution images of coins scattered near the wreck's stern.
Researchers then created digital models to allow them to analyse the wreck.
A 3D reconstruction of the coins onboard the ship suggest they are and-struck silver 'cobs' or 'macuquinas', with heraldic symbols of Castile and León and a clear mint date of 1707. Researchers suggest these coins came from Peru.
Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (1662–1722) and inscriptions on the cannons dating to 1665 were also found on the ship, suggesting it sank in the early eighteenth century.
Daniela Vargas Ariza, lead researcher from Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History explained the San Jose is the only ship that matches these characteristics.
Study authors said: 'This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime trade and routes.'
'It represents only the first step in a long-term project. The initial phase focuses on non-invasive surveys, with no plans for object recovery or excavation until the entire site is fully characterised,' they added.
However, both Spain and Colombia claim they own the San Jose and its cargo, while indigenous groups also argue their ancestors mined the treasure and therefore are owed reparations.
In addition, an American salvage company, Sea Search Armada, has also claimed a share because it located the wreck and informed the Colombian government, hoping they would be entitled to half.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
New treasure photos could be best proof that £15bn ‘richest wreck in history' has been discovered
Images taken from the depths of the Caribbean are the clearest evidence yet that a 300-year-old shipwreck worth £15bn has been located, researchers say. The 'richest wreck in history' the Spanish galleon San Jose, was transporting treasure from Peru to Spain to finance the Spanish side of the War of the Spanish Succession when it was intercepted by the British Navy in 1708. The treasure-laden ship, which was loaded with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth as much as $20bn (£15bn), sank and was not seen again. It wasn't until 2015 that a wreck was identified by the Colombian navy, but it was not conclusively proven to be the San Jose. But new sophisticated underwater imaging has analysed some of the cargo on the sunken ship 600m below the surface of the Colombian Caribbean Sea. In the study, published in the journal Antiquity, researchers used a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to capture high-resolution images of coins scattered near the wreck's stern. Researchers then created digital models to allow them to analyse the wreck. A 3D reconstruction of the coins onboard the ship suggest they are and-struck silver 'cobs' or 'macuquinas', with heraldic symbols of Castile and León and a clear mint date of 1707. Researchers suggest these coins came from Peru. Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (1662–1722) and inscriptions on the cannons dating to 1665 were also found on the ship, suggesting it sank in the early eighteenth century. Daniela Vargas Ariza, lead researcher from Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History explained the San Jose is the only ship that matches these characteristics. Study authors said: 'This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime trade and routes.' 'It represents only the first step in a long-term project. The initial phase focuses on non-invasive surveys, with no plans for object recovery or excavation until the entire site is fully characterised,' they added. However, both Spain and Colombia claim they own the San Jose and its cargo, while indigenous groups also argue their ancestors mined the treasure and therefore are owed reparations. In addition, an American salvage company, Sea Search Armada, has also claimed a share because it located the wreck and informed the Colombian government, hoping they would be entitled to half.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Scientists studying sphere-shaped UFO with alien writing uncover new details they say proves it is real
A shocking new analysis about the strange sphere recovered in Colombia is providing even more evidence experts say proves it is a genuine UFO. Known as the Buga sphere, a team of scientists in Mexico conducted new microscopic scans of the the unidentified object first spotted in March and found a maze of fiber-optic wires that suggest it can send and receive signals. The object also appears to have somehow dehydrated the field it landed in, killing all the grass and soil where it landed. Researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) suggested it likely wasn't radiation, but a kind of invisible energy that sucked all the water out of the grass and soil, leaving them dead and unable to grow back. They claimed it could have been anions, tiny particles in the air that carry a negative electric charge. However, Dr Julia Mossbridge of the University of San Diego Department of Physics and Biophysics, has doubted the authenticity of Buga sphere, calling it a 'man-made art project.' The so-called 'UFO' was spotted March 2 over the town of Buga, zig-zagging through the sky in a way that defies the movement of conventional aircraft. The object was recovered shortly after it landed and has since been analyzed by scientists, who claimed it features three layers of metal-like material and 18 microspheres surrounding a central nucleus they are calling 'a chip.' According to Rodolfo Garrido, a Mexican engineer working with the UNAM team, the new evidence points to a strong, decaying ionized field coming from the Buga sphere. Garrido, who has been examining the object since March, recently appeared on Maussan Televisión to publicly reveal what scientists have found out so far about the sphere and its purpose. Since the investigation began, the UFO is now five times heavier than when it landed, which one engineer believes proves that it uses futuristic gravitational forces to make itself lighter in order to fly. Based on the new findings inside and unexplainable shift in the sphere's weight, experts believe this could be an advanced probe using a form of energy that somehow made the UFO capable of flight by manipulating gravity. Garrido revealed that the sphere increased in weight multiple times, growing to 16, 20, and then 22 pounds, despite never changing in volume. Speaking with UFO researcher Jaime Maussan on the TV program Interstellar, Garrido said that this sphere was capable of generating its own electromagnetic field, which it used to levitate above the ground. Maussan involvement in the televised interview is making researchers question the findings even more. The journalist has been tied to several debunked claims, including multiple incidents where Maussan claimed to have evidence of a real UFO sightings, only for it to be debunked as a comet or star in the night sky. Maussan has also claimed to have discovered physical evidence of mummified alien corpses on three separate occasions, but none of the incidents have been proven true. In this case, however, scientists at UNAM said this levitation system somehow allowed the sphere to maintain a low weight of just over four pounds. The sphere's flight, which was caught on several TikTok videos, was allegedly interrupted after it struck a power cable, causing its electromagnetic field to destabilize and eventually land. The UNAM team just published their newest report on the Buga sphere after finding this fiber-optic puzzle hidden inside. It took a digital microscope set to 2,000 times normal view in order to see the hidden wiring, which runs in different directions and connect to the copper pins and points on the sphere's surface, including something resembling a microchip. 'This is just the beginning. Strategies and plans are already being developed. Various laboratories have been hired to attempt reverse engineering to understand how this sphere works,' Maussan revealed during the June 7 broadcast. At the time, Velez el Potro spoke to Maussan, who has stirred up controversy for in the ufology community for nearly a decade. In 2017, Maussan claimed to have discovered alien mummies in Peru — findings that recently gained worldwide attention after a fetus was allegedly found inside one of the corpses. However, outside experts have raised serious doubts. Forensic archaeologist Flavio Estrada, who led an analysis of the bodies, said the claims that the specimens come from another world are 'totally false.' The man who discovered the sphere captured on video, David Velez el Potro, has suffered from nausea and vertigo since touching the object. Velez el Potro told Maussan that his friend who first made contact with the sphere, Jose, also felt sick for days after touching the object. Now, locals living near the crash site revealed to Velez el Potro the grass field the sphere sat in has completely died out and has not grown back in three months. 'Many people went to Alto Bonito and started sending me photos of this place,' Velez el Potro said on Interstellar. 'This is important news because we are corroborating and certifying that the sphere indeed had an electromagnetic field, magnetic fields, or some kind of radiation or static that caused the grass to dry out in that area,' he added. Initial X-rays of the sphere in March could not find any seams which would reveal how the object was built. Despite that, Dr Mossbridge voiced serious skepticism that the mysterious probe was an actual UFO. The cognitive neuroscientist and a researcher of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) noted that no direct connection has been made between videoes of the Buga sphere and the actual metal object found in the Colombian woods. 'The sphere itself seems kind of like an art project,' the UFO researcher said, adding that she believes it was created by humans, not aliens. However, the new evidence revealed by UNAM is making the story of a man-made hoax harder to believe. Dr Mossbridge admitted that humanity is nearing a point where it may soon have to deal with the knowledge that aliens exist. 'We are entering a time when we are starting to recognize as humans we don't have the control that we thought we had over everything,' Mossbridge told Fox News.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes Colombia, GFZ says
June 8 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Columbia on Sunday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GPZ said.
