Treasures of 300-year-old shipwreck finally FOUND... as stunning photos reveal contents of $20BN trove
Stunning photos have revealed the treasures of a Spanish ship three centuries after it was blown apart by the British in a Caribbean ambush.
Researchers have released underwater images that are the clearest evidence yet that the galleon is that of the San José, dubbed the 'holy grail' of shipwrecks, complete with a staggering trove of gold, silver and emeralds.
The San José was sunk in June 1708 off the coast of what is now Colombia during a dramatic ambush by the British.
On board were treasures worth up to $20 billion in today's money along with 600 sailors. All but 11 of the seamen went down with the ship.
The Colombian navy claimed that it had found the wreck in 2015, but until now evidence of its identity was limited.
A study published on Tuesday in the journal Antiquity has revealed new details about the legendary shipwreck.
Columbian researchers authored the study, which revealed images taken by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). They show dozens of coins that lie scattered around the wreck, about 1,970 feet under water.
The San Jose galleon was owned by the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the British Navy near Cartagena of the coast of what is now Colombia
Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza, of Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, explained how her team used advanced underwater imaging to examine the site.
This technique included high-resolution scans of silver coins found near the stern.
Those coins, known as 'cobs' or 'macuquinas,' depict the mark of Lima, Peru, and are dated 1707 - the same year the San José set sail.
Some are stamped with the royal symbols of Castile and León, the emblems of Spain's empire.
'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,' she said in a statement.
'This body of evidence substantiates the identification of the wreck as the San José Galleon.'
'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'.
Also found near the site was Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period 1662 to 1722, and 17th-century cannons dated to 1665.
In 2015 the Colombian government announced that a team of navy divers had discovered the legendary ship lying beneath 3,100 feet of water.
In 2022 another team brought back jaw-dropping images of its perfectly preserved cargo. And in 2023 the Colombian government said it would be raised before President Gustavo Petro's term of office ends in 2026.
At the time a US firm claimed it found the boat and demanded half the loot. The Spanish government and an indigenous group also claimed to have rights over it.
Glocca Morra, an American research company, claimed it found the San Jose in 1981 and turned the coordinates over to the Colombians on the condition it would receive half the fortune once the vessel was recovered.
But this was countered in 2015 by Colombia's then president, Juan Manuel Santos, who said the Navy had found the boat at a different location on the sea bed.
The 62-gun galleon was sailing from Portobelo in Panama at the head of a treasure fleet of 14 merchant vessels and three Spanish warships when it encountered the British squadron near Barú.
Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession at the time and the Royal Navy was approaching dominance on the high seas when it sent the San Jose to the bottom.
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Metro
a day ago
- Metro
‘Holy Grail' shipwreck filled with £15,000,000,000 in treasure ‘found'
Stunning underwater photos have brought researchers one step closer to confirming the location of the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'. The San José, a Spanish ship, sunk in June 1708 after an attack by the British Royal Navy off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. At least 200 tonnes of gold, silver, gems, jewellery and other treasures collected in Spain's South American colonies were being shipped to King Philip V to finance his war of succession against the British. Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession. But the huge hoard, thought to be worth about £14.8billion ($20billion) in today's money, went down with the ship and only 11 of its 600 sailors survived. The Colombian navy claimed it found the San José wreck in 2015, but evidence of its identity was limited – but new research published this week provides the strongest evidence yet that they are correct. The study, published in the Antiquity journal, includes pictures taken by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) examining the shipwreck which rests about 1,970ft below the surface. The high-quality images, using advanced underwater imaging and high-resolution scans of the coins, revealed the date the coins were struck. The coins, known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish, feature the mark of Lima, Peru. Some are stamped with the royal symbols of Castile and León, the emblems of Spain's empire. Crucially they are dated 1707, which is the year the San José set sail. Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza, of Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, explained: Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries. 'This body of evidence substantiates the identification of the wreck as the San José Galleon. '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.' In 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would raise the wreckage before his time in office ends in 2026. check our news page.
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
San Jose: Shipwreck with £16bn of treasure on board identified - fuelling international row over who owns it
The San Jose was lost for centuries, its £16bn treasure trove of gold and emeralds swallowed up by the Caribbean Sea. Not any more. Researchers say they have identified the "world's richest shipwreck", a discovery likely to fuel an international row over which country owns the 300-year-old galleon. The San Jose was sailing in 1708 as the flagship of a treasure fleet, made up of three Spanish warships and 14 merchant vessels, when it was sunk after an attack by the Royal Navy off the coast of Colombia. Powder magazines on board the ship detonated during the battle, destroying the vessel and sending almost all of its 600-man crew to the bottom, along with her hoard of gold, silver, and emeralds. More than three centuries later, a wreck believed to be the San Jose was discovered in 2015 at a depth of 600 metres in the Caribbean Sea. To determine whether the ship was indeed the San Jose, the Colombian navy used an unmanned, remotely operated underwater vehicle to survey the wreck non-invasively. Sonar images identified bronze cannons, weapons, ceramics and other artefacts among its cargo - but the real interest was the gold. A number of coins on the sea floor have been revealed in high-resolution pictures, according to research published in the journal Antiquity on Tuesday. "Coins are crucial artefacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts", says lead researcher Daniela Vargas Ariza. "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." By analysing features on the coins, such as the Jerusalem Cross, researchers have been able to gain an understanding of the ship's function and the events surrounding its sinking. "This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks," Ms Vargas Ariza adds. While the coins may still be 600 metres below the waves, the identification of the wreck as the San Jose is likely to add fuel to an ongoing international row over who owns the treasure. Who owns the San Jose? Spain, which owned the San Jose back in 1708 when it sank, considers it a state ship; its remains are classified as an underwater graveyard and cannot be commercially exploited. Colombia, in whose waters the wreck is located, has suggested that Spain renounce its claim in its favour, a move that some worry could set a dangerous precedent. Colombian law favours treasure hunters. Lawyer Jose Maria Lancho, an expert in underwater heritage, said: "If Spain, in this case, renounces its sovereign immunity, there will be no state or treasure-hunting company that does not invoke this precedent." Mr Lancho has filed a request to Spain and UNESCO on behalf of three South American indigenous communities, asking them to declare the San Jose "common and shared heritage" from which they too should benefit. The Killakas, Carangas and Chichas peoples estimate that their ancestors, often working in slave-like conditions, extracted the metals that make up around half of the ship's cargo from mines in what is now Bolivia, then under Spanish control, which were then transported north to Cartagena. "Our native communities consider any act of intervention and unilateral appropriation of the galleon, without consulting us directly and without expressly and effectively considering its common and shared character, to be an act of plunder and neo-colonialism," the indigenous communities said in the letters sent to UNESCO and Spain last year.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Gold-laden ‘£16bn' ship ‘is FOUND': Sunken galleon discovered 10yrs ago is fabled holy grail of wrecks, scientists say
A CENTURIES old Spanish galleon stacked with a £16-billion treasure trove has finally been found, researchers have claimed. Known as the holy grail of shipwrecks, the San Jose was long believed to be lost beneath the waters of the Caribbean. 6 6 6 After being sunk by the British more than three centuries ago, its treasures have gone untouched and undiscovered at the bottom of the sea. But academics in Colombia now believe that a wreckage found near Baru Island in 2015 is the long-lost galleon. An underwater drone mission from a decade ago captured images of the cargo scattered in and around the shipwreck. Among the items spotted were silver coins minted in 1707 in Lima, Peru and Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period. There were also cannon inscriptions that dated to 1665. The academics said: "This body of evidence substantiates the identification of the wreck as the San José Galleon, a hypothesis that has been put forward since its initial discovery in 2015. "The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early 18th century. "The San Jose Galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics. "This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime trade and routes." The San Jose was sunk by the Royal Navy back in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. It was intercepted by a British squadron under Charles Wager, who would later serve as First Lord of the Admiralty. The vessel's powder magazines detonated during the attack, causing it to sink. Its treasure was being ferried from Peru to Spain to help fund the Spanish war effort - making the sinking of the San Jose a huge blow to Spain. The war would end with Britain getting control of Gibraltar, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The combined treasure of gold, silver and precious stones is believed to be worth around £16 billion in today's prices, The Telegraph has reported. This new discovery is expected to further stoke a dispute over wreckage's legal ownership. The governments of Colombia, Spain and Peru all stake claims to the San Jose, as do indigenous communities and the descendants of the miners who dug up the treasure. Treasure-hunting firm Glocca Morra also claims it discovered the wreckage as long ago as 1981. Its new owners Sea Search Armada are adamant the vessel was found within a mile or two of its 1981 discovery. The firm is claiming £7.9 billion and is challenging a 2020 Colombian law that says everything on board is the government's property. 6 6
