The San José galleon, a Spanish treasure ship lost in the Caribbean Sea in 1708, has remained submerged for over 300 years due to ownership disputes. Dubbed the ‘holy grail of shipwrecks,’ the galleon was discovered in 2015 by the Colombian government, but its exact location was kept secret to prevent looting. This vessel is believed to hold an estimated €18 billion worth of treasures, including glass, porcelain, emeralds, and gold and silver coins. Launched in 1698, the San José galleon belonged to the Spanish Armada. It was a formidable vessel, boasting 64 guns, three masts, and three decks, intended to be part of the Spanish treasure fleet that traded goods across the Atlantic for riches. However, the galleon was drafted into the war in 1701, sparked by the disputed succession to the Spanish throne following the death of Charles II of Spain. On a June evening in 1708, while anchored in Colombian waters, the San José was attacked by a squadron of British ships led by commander Charles Wager. The largest of these was called the Expedition, but as it closed in to board, the San José suddenly exploded, according to a research paper published in the Mariner’s Mirror. This tragic event resulted in the loss of 600 crew members, with only 11 surviving. The ownership of the San José has been a subject of intense legal battles, with Spain arguing that it belonged to their fleet, the US salvage company Sea Search Armada claiming they located the wreck 42 years ago, and Bolivian Indigenous communities asserting a claim to the treasures based on their ancestral mining activities. This protracted legal battle has left the galleon resting 600 meters (approximately 2,000 feet) beneath the sea. Now, Colombian officials have finally begun a $4.5 million (€4.1m) recovery process, starting with a ‘characterization phase’. This phase utilizes remote sensors to generate a detailed image of the archaeological material on the seabed for an inventory, while deep diving robots are taking readings to inform academic studies, according to the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History. The next steps will be determined by the findings of this initial phase, with no immediate plans for archeological excavations. “It is time to claim the heritage elements for which the remains of the galleon should be valued,” Colombia’s Minister of Culture, Juan David Correa, said in a statement earlier this year, emphasizing that “history is the treasure.”
The San José Galleon: A 300-Year-Old Treasure Ship Finally Being Retrieved
