Latest news with #SanJoséGalleon
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Photos show possible treasure from 300-year-old 'holy grail' of shipwrecks off Colombia
CARTAGENA, Colombia – An underwater mission to investigate a 300-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Colombia has revealed new photos of gold coins. The San José Galleon was sunk in 1708 by a British warship, bringing down the ship full of treasure, including gold coins. For years, the Colombian government has wanted to locate and recover the treasure from the San José, but the exact location of the ship has never been publicly revealed. How A 128-Year-old Great Lakes Shipwreck Was Found Thanks To An Invasive Animal Four unmanned vehicles have been deployed to investigate the shipwreck since 2015. In 2022, photos revealed the spatial distribution of the remains of the ship. A recent study published in Antiquity showed researchers analyzed high-resolution pictures of gold coins found around the shipwreck to try and determine if the wreck truly is the San Jose Galleon. How To Watch Fox Weather While it was difficult to determine the exact number of coins on the seafloor, researchers found the coins were estimated to have an average diameter of 32.5 mm and (1.3 inches) and probably weigh about 27 grams (about 1 ounce). Close analysis of the faces of the coins showed details of the Jerusalem Cross with the Quartered Shield of Castles and Lions, a symbol of Castile and Leon, within a dotted border, the study said. Historic Treasure Trove Of Gold, Jewelry Found In Czech Forest Details of the Crowned Pillars of Hercules above the waves of the sea could be seen on the coins' opposite side. According to the study, between the pillars of Hercules was an "L" indicating the coins were minted in Lima, Peru. An "8" on the coins proved they were the highest value of coins created at the time; an "H" referenced the mark of Francisco de Hurtado, the Chief Assayer in 1707. Shipwreck Found In Lake Superior Sank In 1940 During Storm, Taking Captain Down With It The year of minting was noted by a "707", meaning the coins were minted in 1707. These details indicate the shipwreck happened in 1708 and helps point to the route the ship took prior to its sinking. The study said the evidence supports the identification of the wreck as the San José article source: Photos show possible treasure from 300-year-old 'holy grail' of shipwrecks off Colombia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The World's Richest Shipwreck in History Could Be Worth $17 Billion
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A decade ago, the Colombian government announced the discovery of what was presumed to be the wreckage of the San José, a Spanish galleon that was sunk by the British Navy more than 300 years ago. But this wasn't just any ship. Historians say the vessel was carrying not only a crew of more than 600 men but also a massive fortune, including "200 tonnes of gold, silver, and emeralds belonging to the viceroy of Peru.' In today's currency, that pot would be worth more than $17 billion, making it the world's richest shipwreck in history if recovered. In the years since then, the government has funded research efforts to confirm the ship's origins. This week, researchers shared new findings after sending an underwater drone on 'a non-intrusive investigation of an 18th-century AD shipwreck,' which was covered in a new article in the archaeology journal Antiquity, published by Cambridge University Press. The most essential clue: 'hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins—known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish—that served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries.' 'This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks, particularly those from the Tierra Firme Fleet,' researchers wrote in Antiquity. '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.' The San José Galleon is also referred to as the 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks,' and a private company Sea Search Armada (formerly called Glocca Morra) say they first discovered the shipwreck in 1981, and later shared the coordinates with the government. The company then sued the government for $10 billion, 'equivalent to half the fortune, according to its calculations.' Colombia has since declared the area a 'protected archaeological area,' and President Gustavo Petro wants to recover and raise the wreck for scientific purposes before his term ends in 2026, according to Bloomberg. However, researchers stopped short of confirming the wreckage entirely, noting at the end of the report that this '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 characterized.' You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
300-Year-Old Coins Help Confirm Shipwreck as the Long-Lost San José Galleon
In 1708, the British sank a Spanish galleon—a large war and/or merchant ship used from the 15th through the 17th centuries—off the coast of Colombia. Over three centuries later, its cargo of gold coins may have just helped scientists finally identify its wreck. A team of researchers and naval officers used an uncrewed remotely operated underwater vehicle to study an 18th-century shipwreck that the Colombian government discovered in 2015. Their survey uncovered coins that provide further evidence the wreck is likely the long-lost San José Galleon, highlighting the usefulness of coins as chronological markers in marine archaeology. 'The Tierra Firme Fleet, commanded by the San José Galleon, held the exclusive monopoly on transporting royal treasures between South America and the Iberian Peninsula,' explained Daniela Vargas Ariza, lead author of the study published earlier this week in Antiquity, in a statement. Vargas Ariza is also an archaeologist affiliated with the Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History. The fleet was one of the Hispanic Monarchy's most important cargo fleets, according to the statement. Also known as the Catholic Monarchy, the crown ferried royal cargo from the Americas between the 16th and 18th centuries. That brings us back to 1708, when historical sources suggest that the British sank a cargo-heavy San José Galleon in Colombian waters. Notably, the uncrewed vehicle captured high-resolution images of coins that had spilled onto the seafloor. Vargas Ariza and her colleagues used these images to reconstruct a 3D model, which allowed them to study the coins' surfaces in more detail. This approach, along with other research, helped them reveal that the coins were minted in 1707 in Lima, Peru. That means the ship must have sunk after that year. 'Coins are crucial artefacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts,' the researchers wrote in the study. 'These sites serve as invaluable repositories of historical information, especially when examining events related to the Tierra Firme Fleet,' they added. The 'hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins' were the 'primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries.' The coins showcase symbols associated with the crowns of Castile (the Spanish kingdom that united Spain in the late 15th, early 16th centuries) and Leon (a medieval Spanish kingdom that merged with Castile in 1230), further establishing the ship's likely identity as a Spanish vessel. On the other side, they feature iconography related to Hercules and the Lima Mint. Furthermore, historical records link the coins to a 1707 treasure delivery from Peru, during which the San José Galleon met its tragic end. '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 writers concluded in the study. The study ultimately establishes that, like pottery layers in archaeological excavations, coins serve as reliable reflections of a specific moment and culture in time.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sunken ship with £16bn of treasure ‘found in Caribbean'
For centuries, a £16-billion treasure trove of gold, silver and emeralds was lost beneath the waves of the Caribbean. But now researchers believe they have identified the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'. The rich treasures of the Spanish galleon San Jose appeared to have been gone forever after they were sunk by the Royal Navy in 1708. A squadron commanded by Charles Wager, who would go on to serve as the First Lord of the Admiralty, intercepted the treasure fleet near Baru Island, off Cartagena, Colombia, and attacked, detonating its powder magazines and sending it to the seabed. The treasure was being transported from Peru to Spain to fund the War of the Spanish Succession against Britain and its allies. Gold and silver coins, pearls and gems, claimed to be worth as much as £16 billion in current prices, sat aboard the San Jose. The ship's sinking dented the Spanish effort in the war, which ended with Britain gaining Gibraltar, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Academics in Colombia now claim to have confirmed that a wreck found off the South American country's coast in 2015 is the San Jose. Using underwater drones, they photographed cargo scattered on and around the wreckage of a ship found on the seafloor near Baru Island in 2015. Analysis of the images found silver coins – minted in 1707 with the hallmarks of the mint at Lima, Peru – among the wreckage. Other finds included Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (1662-1722) and inscriptions on cannons that dated to 1665. These finds suggest the wreckage is of a ship that sank in the early 18th century. '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 academics found. '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 José 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 analysis will likely deepen a battle over the legal ownership of the wreckage. Claims have been made by Colombia, Spain, Peru, indigenous communities in the area, descendants of miners who dug up the treasure, and Glocca Morra, the treasure-hunting firm, which says it found the wreck as far back as 1981. Glocca Morra's new owners, Sea Search Armada, insist that the galleon was found within a mile or two of the coordinates of its 1981 discovery. The company, which is claiming £7.9 billion, is also challenging a 2020 law that deemed everything on the ship was Colombian government property The researchers added: 'Coins are crucial artefacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts. '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 finds follow previous carbon dating analysis of the wreckage that indicated that it was approximately 300 years old. The ship's cargo will not be recovered from the seafloor until the wreckage is 'fully characterised' using 'non-invasive surveys'. With the galleon lying several hundred metres below the sea surface, it is too deep for human exploration. The study is published in the journal Antiquity. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
