A brand new survey of the sunken Spanish galleon, San José, by Colombian researchers has found a trove of gold cash, offering extra proof confirming the ship’s id.
Dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks‘ for the hoard of treasure she was carrying, San José was the flagship of the Spanish Treasure Fleet, reportedly laden with 200 tons of gold doubloons, silver and emeralds on the time of her sinking.
The loss was of giant significance on the time, as San José’s cargo was meant to finance Spanish forces within the Warfare of Spanish Succession fought between European nations throughout 1701-1714.
Described as ‘the primary world conflict of contemporary instances’, the battle arose following the loss of life of King Charles II of Spain who, on his deathbed, ceded his crown to the grandson of King Louis XIV of France.
Uneasy on the considered the unification of France and Spain, Britain, Prussia and Austria united as allies to revive the stability of energy in Europe.
San José and the convoy she was main have been intercepted en route from Peru to Spain by the British Royal Navy on 8 June 1708. She sank with the lack of all however 11 of her crew after an enormous explosion tore by means of her gunpowder shops following a battle with the British warship Expedition.
The treasure – estimated to be value between $16-$20 billion in in the present day’s cash – was thought to have been misplaced along with her.
Associated articles
Controversial discovery
The galleon’s discovery has grow to be a topic of a lot controversy, partly over who first discovered the wreck, however largely over who really owns the treasure.
The arguments started in 1980 when the Glocca Morra Firm – a gaggle of US explorers and buyers now named Sea Search Armada – claimed to have discovered the wreck.
In line with Sea Search Armada, the search was deserted after the Colombian authorities backed out of an settlement to separate the proceeds from the treasure’s restoration. The corporate subsequently mounted a lawsuit claiming their share of the cash, which continues to be being arbitrated within the Colombian courts.
The wreck was definitively recognized in November 2015 by a group comprising researchers from the Woods Gap Oceanographic Establishment (WHOI) and the Colombian Navy.
The invention was introduced by Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in December of that yr, nonetheless, WHOI was not permitted to reveal its involvement till Could 2018, and the wreck’s location was protected as a state secret.
A number of salvage missions have since been introduced, however none have been ever undertaken till an announcement by the present president, Gustavo Petro, in 2024 stating that the wreck could be recovered earlier than his time period of workplace ends in 2026.
Gold cash and Chinese language crockery
The brand new survey by Colombian researchers, revealed within the Cambridge College Journal Antiquity, used remotely operated automobiles (ROVs) to go looking by means of the wreckage, which lies at a depth of round 600m (1970ft) within the Caribbean Sea.
The group photographed a set of gold cash often called cobs, or macuquinas in Spanish, a kind of irregularly-shaped hand-minted coin used all through the Spanish Empire between the sixteenth and 18th centuries – usually extra familiarly termed as ‘items of eight’.
The cash have been marked with symbols that determine them as having been minted in 1707 in Lima, which means the ship carrying them should have sunk after that date.
Different finds on the wreck embody Chinese language porcelain from the Kangxi interval of the Qing Dynasty between 1661–1722, and inscriptions on the ship’s cannons courting them to 1665.
Collectively, the findings recommend that the ship sank within the early 18th century, and the one ship that matches all of the proof is that of the galleon San José.
‘This case examine highlights the worth of cash as key chronological markers within the identification of shipwrecks,’ write the report’s authors.
‘The discovering of cobs created in 1707 on the Lima Mint factors to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route within the early eighteenth century. The San José Galleon is the one ship that matches these traits.
‘This discover presents a uncommon alternative to discover an underwater archaeological website and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime commerce and routes,’ mentioned the researchers. ‘Nevertheless, it represents solely step one in a long-term mission.
‘This physique of proof substantiates the identification of the wreck because the San José Galleon, a speculation that has been put ahead since its preliminary discovery in 2015.’
Treasure possession dispute
Who owns the treasure will undoubtedly be the topic of a lot dialogue and authorized wrangling within the years to return. Sea Search Armada insists the vessel surveyed within the newest expedition is similar ship they found in 1981.
Claims have been made by Spanish authorities, since San José was a Spanish ship carrying items that belonged to Spain on the time of the sinking; Peru has lodged a declare on the premise that the cash have been minted in Lima.
Additionally laying declare to the treasure are the indigenous Qhara Qhara folks of Bolivia, who say it belongs to them as their ancestors have been pressured to work the gold and silver mines which are the supply of the treasure.
In the meantime, in 2020, the Colombian authorities handed a regulation saying that the wreck belongs to Colombia, as a result of it sank of their nation’s waters.
Thankfully, no less than for now, the ship will stay the place it’s, and the topic of scientific survey, moderately than a world authorized dispute.
‘This discover presents a uncommon alternative to discover an underwater archaeological website and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime commerce and routes,’ conclude the report’s authors.
‘Nevertheless, it represents solely step one in a long-term mission. The preliminary section focuses on non-invasive surveys, with no plans for object restoration or excavation till your complete website is totally characterised.
‘This cautious and multidisciplinary strategy ensures that the archaeological examine shall be thorough, offering helpful insights into eighteenth-century world contacts.’
Crowley (identified to his mum as Mark), packed in his IT job in 2005 and spent the following 9 years working as a full-time scuba diving skilled. He began writing for DIVE in 2010 and hasn’t stopped since.
