More than 300 years ago, on June 8, 1708, a naval battle broke out between English and Spanish ships off the port of Cartagena in Colombia. The Spanish galleon San José was set on fire and sank. She was part of the so-called treasure fleet, which brought silver and other treasures from the colonies in South America to Spain. There are said to be 200 tons of gold, silver and precious stones in the wreckage, photos of which have now been published (see video above).
The San Jose sank after her gunpowder chamber exploded. 578 sailors, soldiers and passengers were killed, only eleven people survived the sinking. After decades of searching, an international team of researchers discovered the wreck of the 18th-century sailing ship at a depth of 950 meters. The experts found and unequivocally identified the remains using sound localization near the Barú Peninsula (not far from the Islas del Rosario, note) near Cartagena, then Colombian President Manuel Santos reported in December 2015.
Sunk with eleven million gold coins?
In their search for Rosario Island, the scientists used sonar, special cameras and underwater drones. Eleven million gold coins and nearly 200 tons of emeralds are said to have been on board the San José. Estimates of the value of the sunken treasure range from three to 17 billion dollars (equivalent to just under 2.8 to about 16 billion euros).
Underwater images now released by the Colombian Navy show coins, cannons, tea sets and pottery scattered across the seabed at a depth of 950 meters, along with the remains of the ship. According to their own statements, the authorities of the South American country are raising the ship to transfer the finds to museums. That way they could be made accessible to the whole world, Colombian President Ivan Duque said Monday.
A museum must be built for treasures
Santos announced the construction of a museum to display the treasures of the galleon. “We will build a great museum in Cartagena, in the style of the museums in Scandinavian countries, which exhibit much more insignificant finds than ours,” he explained.
Even with a successful salvage, it is of course questionable whether the treasure only belongs to Colombia. There are still many unanswered questions, historian and maritime law expert Daniel de Narváez told El Tiempo newspaper in 2015, “Will Spain and Peru sue the Colombian state? Does the Spanish government want the ship back as state property?”
Lawsuits may flare up again
Colombia has already had a long legal battle with the American company Sea Search Armada. The company claimed to have located the wreckage in the 1980s and wanted a share of the profits. A number of judgments were handed down, but in October 2011, a US court dismissed all of Sea Search Armada’s claims as unfounded.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
