More than three centuries have passed since the legendary story was told. San Jose Galleon A plan to restore a sunken shipwreck off the coast of Colombia carrying gold, silver and emeralds and its treasures has been officially approved, officials announced this week.
dubbing The “Holy Grail” of ShipwrecksThe 316-year-old shipwreck has been controversial since the accident. Discovered in 2015Because it is an archaeological and economic treasure estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
“For the first time in history, a comprehensive public management model has been developed for archaeological sites and assets of cultural interest protected by regulations and public missions,” the Colombian government said in a press release Tuesday.
The Colombian government plans to invest more than $1 million in the recovery process, which is scheduled to begin next month, officials said.
Last month, Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP: Underwater robots are powerfulDo not recover any part of the bounty.
Between April and May, the robot will extract some items from “the surface of the galleon” to “see how they materialize when they come out (of the water) and understand what we can do” to retrieve the rest of the treasure. Correa said.
Aboard a large Navy ship, Correa said the robot would remove pottery, wood chips and shells from a depth of 600 meters “without modifying or damaging the wreck.”
The location of the expedition is kept secret to protect what is being considered. One of the greatest archaeological discoveries From the history of malicious treasure hunters.
The San Jose galleon was owned by the Spanish Crown when it was sunk by the British Navy near Cartagena in 1708. Only a handful of the 600-member crew survived.
The ship was returning from the New World to the court of King Philip V of Spain, carrying treasures such as a chest of emeralds and about 200 tons of gold coins.
against colombia They announced their findings in 2015.It has been sought by treasure hunters for a long time.
The expedition to recover artifacts from the wreck comes amid ongoing litigation at the United Nations' Permanent Court of Arbitration between Colombia and US-based salvage company Sea Search Armada. Sea Search Armada claims it first discovered the wreck more than 40 years ago.
In June 2022, Colombia said its remote-controlled vehicle had reached 900 meters below sea level. New images of the wreckage.
The video gives you the best look at Lake San Jose's treasures, including gold bars and coins, a cannon made in Seville in 1655, and a full Chinese dinner.
Reuters reported at the time that the remote-controlled vehicle also discovered two other shipwrecks in the area, including a schooner believed to be about 200 years old.