Over 300 Years After This Ship Sank, Its Riches Have An Estimated Worth Of $20 Billion Dollars And Are Still Sitting At The Bottom Of The Sea
During the War of Spanish Succession in 1708, the British navy sunk the San José, a majestic Spanish galleon that held a crew of around 600 men and had a substantial fortune on board.
It is believed that the ship had been hauling a cargo of valuable treasures, including 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds from Panama.
The ship had nearly reached its destination when it was ambushed by the British near Cartagena, a Colombian port.
Over 300 years later, the wreckage and all its riches are still sitting at the bottom of the sea. The contents of the wreck are valued to be about $20 billion.
So, it’s no wonder that the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, is in a hurry to collect the precious bounty from the ocean’s depths before his term is up in 2026.
For centuries, the location of the San José was a mystery. But, in 2015, the Colombian government discovered the shipwreck.
Two years later, an expedition down to the ship’s remains was announced, but the process isn’t going as quickly as the president would like.
According to Juan David Correa, the Minister of Culture, Petro has pressured officials to “pick up the pace.”
In 2022, footage of the wreck was released, showing that the hull of the ship was still intact. The sea floor was littered with gold ingots, coins, and pottery. Additionally, there was a Chinese dinner service and Spanish cannons dating back to 1655.
muratart – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Currently, the wreck is 700 feet below water. It’s too far down for divers to access, so remote-operated vehicles will have to do most of the work. Colombia has not shared the exact coordinates of the highly sought-after ship.
The Colombian government is also dealing with a lawsuit from Sea Search Armada, a private company based in the U.S.
The company declares that they found the shipwreck in 1981, and they are suing for $10 billion, which is equivalent to half of the treasure.
Several other countries have argued that they have rights to the wreck as well. Spain asserted that they deserved part of the bounty because the vessel had been carrying Spanish citizens when it sank.
Furthermore, Peru and Panama are claiming ownership because the precious items had been stolen from their lands.
Finally, the Qhara Qhara, an indigenous nation in Bolivia, wants a portion because their ancestors were forced to mine the treasures in the 16th century.
“Colombia should split nothing,” Charles Beaker, the director of Underwater Science at Indiana University, told NBC News. “These resources should be protected for public benefit, not for private gain,” he added.
The president has promised to build a museum for the ship and its booty in Cartagena. However, some archaeologists and historians advise against excavating the wreck, stating that it is a “bad idea.” They also believe that the estimation of the treasure’s value is greatly exaggerated.
“The shipwreck lies there because it has reached equilibrium with the environment,” Ricardo Borrero, a nautical archaeologist based in Bogotá, said.
“Materials have been under these conditions for 300 years, and there is no better way for them to be resting.”
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