Legendary shipwreck’s treasure of “incalculable worth” might be recovered by underwater robotic, Colombia says

Colombia’s authorities on Friday introduced an expedition to take away objects of “incalculable worth” from the wreck of the legendary San Jose galleon, which sank in 1708 whereas laden with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be price billions of {dollars}. The 316-year-old wreck, typically known as the “holy grail” of shipwrecks, has been controversial, as a result of it’s each an archaeological and financial treasure.

Tradition Minister Juan David Correa informed AFP that greater than eight years after the discovery of the wreck off Colombia’s coast, an underwater robotic can be despatched to recuperate a few of its bounty.

Between April and Might, the robotic would extract some objects from “the floor of the galleon” to see “how they materialize after they come out (of the water) and to know what we will do” to recuperate the remainder of the treasures, stated Correa.

The operation will value greater than $4.5 million and the robotic will work at a depth of 600 meters to take away objects corresponding to ceramics, items of wooden and shells “with out modifying or damaging the wreck,” Correa informed AFP aboard a big naval ship.

The placement of the expedition is being saved secret to guard what is taken into account one of many best archaeological finds in historical past from malicious treasure hunters.

The San Jose galleon was owned by the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the British navy close to Cartagena in 1708. Solely a handful of its 600-strong crew survived.

“It makes it very sensitive as a result of one is just not alleged to intervene in conflict graves,” Justin Leidwanger, an archaeologist at Stanford College who research historical shipwrecks, informed Reside Science. 

The ship had been heading again from the New World to the courtroom of King Philip V of Spain, laden with treasures corresponding to chests of emeralds and a few 200 tons of gold cash.

Earlier than Colombia introduced the invention in 2015, it was lengthy wanted by treasure hunters.

“As if we have been in colonial occasions”

The invention of the galleon sparked a tug-of-war over who will get custody of its bounty.

Spain insists that the bounty is theirs because it was aboard a Spanish ship, whereas Bolivia’s Qhara Qhara nation says it ought to get the treasures because the Spanish pressured the group’s folks to mine the valuable metals.

Since Thursday, Spain’s ambassador to Colombia Joaquin de Aristegui, and representatives of Bolivia’s Indigenous folks have been participating in a symposium with consultants to debate one of the simplest ways to entry the treasure.

The federal government of leftist president Gustavo Petro, in energy since 2022, needs to make use of the nation’s personal sources to recuperate the wreck and guarantee it stays in Colombia.

De Aristegui stated he has directions to supply Colombia a “bilateral settlement” on the safety of the wreck.

Correa stated Bolivia’s Indigenous folks have expressed their willingness to work with Petro’s authorities.

The concept is “to cease contemplating that we’re coping with a treasure that we’ve got to battle for as if we have been in colonial occasions, with the pirates who disputed these territories,” he added.

The expedition to begin recovering the shipwreck’s trove comes as a case is underway on the UN’s Everlasting Court docket of Arbitration between Colombia and the U.S.-based salvage firm Sea Search Armada — which claims it discovered the wreck first over 40 years in the past.

The corporate is demanding $10 billion {dollars}, half the wreck’s estimated worth at this time.

In June 2022, Colombia stated {that a} remotely operated automobile reached 900 meters beneath the floor of the ocean, exhibiting new pictures of the wreckage.

The video confirmed the best-yet view of the treasure that was aboard the San Jose — together with gold ingots and cash, cannons made in Seville in 1655 and an intact Chinese language dinner service.

On the time, Reuters reported the remotely operated automobile additionally found two different shipwrecks within the space, together with a schooner considered from about two centuries in the past.