Underwater treasure hunt to explore 300-year-old shipwreck begins

Colombia has launched the initial phase of an underwater expedition to explore a Spanish warship which sank in the Caribbean more than 300 years ago and is believed to have treasure worth billions.

‘Holy grail of shipwrecks’

The 18th Century Spanish galleon which has been dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks” was discovered nearly a decade ago off the port city of Cartagena by the Colombian government and is said to be full of emerald, gold, and silver worth at least $20 billion.

Historians believe that the ship,San Jose,was carrying one of the largest known unsalvaged collectionsof maritime treasures.

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At the time, back in 1708, the vessel was said to be transporting its precious cargo from the mines of Potosi, Peru to the Spanish king to help pay for his war against the British.

The 62-gun, three-masted ship, which was the largest galleon of a Spanish fleet, was said to have been travelling from Panama to Colombia when it sank with at least 600 crew members on board.

The San Jose was part of the fleet of King Philip V that fought the British during the 1701-14 War of the Spanish Succession.

The ship reportedly sank on June 8, 1708, after engaging with a British fleet in a gunfight.

About the expedition

The first stage of the expedition, according to the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), will be the “characterisation phase” where researchers will photograph the shipwreck using “non-intrusive” remote sensors and build an inventory of the archaeological material on the seabed.

The site has been declared a national “protected archaeological area” given its “high scientific and heritage value”. Colombia’s Culture Minister Juan David Correa called the research an “unprecedented” move by the government.

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However, there are long-standing legal disputes about who owns the treasure worth billions.

Spain has previously said that it considers the San Josea state ship whose remains are classified as an underwater graveyard which cannot be commercially exploited.

“Colombia and Spain currently have excellent relations which should align their interests closely on this issue,” the Spanish Culture Ministry told Reuters when asked about the ship, earlier this month.

Meanwhile, members of three South American indigenous communities asked Spain and UNESCO to declare the shipa “common and shared heritage” from which they too should benefit.

(With inputs from agencies)