An 18th century Spanish galleon dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks” for its storied cache of 11 million gold and silver cash – price an estimated $20bn (£16bn) – has yielded its first treasures.
The San José, a 64-gun galleon of the Spanish Navy, was sunk by the British in 1708 when her powder magazines exploded close to Cartagena, Colombia.
Now a Colombian mission to salvage the wreck has retrieved its first artifacts; a cannon, three cash, and a few porcelain.
The restoration types a part of an expedition to the wreck, accredited by Bogotá final 12 months, following the rediscovery of the ship in 2015.
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Porcelain recovered from the shipwreck. Pic: Armada de la República de Colombia
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A cannon was additionally recovered. Pic: Armada de la República de Colombia
The San José lies 600m (nearly 2,000ft) beneath the Caribbean Sea, however its precise location is a state secret, and possession of the treasure is hotly contested.
It has been the topic of a authorized battle in the USA, Colombia and Spain over who owns the rights to the sunken treasure.
Sea Search Armada, a gaggle of American buyers, claims to have found the ship in 1982, and calls for $10bn for its half – estimating this to be about 50% of the treasure’s price.
Colombia’s authorities, in the meantime, says the aim of its deep-sea mission is analysis and never treasure, and that the artifacts will probably be preserved and studied.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro inspects a porcelain bowl from the wreck. Pic: Reuters
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The cash recovered from the wreck. Pic: Armada de la República de Colombia
The cash, often known as macuquinas, have been taken to the Nationwide Museum of Colombia, whereas the opposite finds are being studied and preserved on the Caribbean Oceanographic and Hydrographic Analysis Middle.
The Colombian Institute of Anthropology and Historical past mentioned subjecting the artifacts to laboratory evaluation may shed new mild on the ship’s historical past.
In an announcement, it mentioned: “Each of the archaeological objects collected from the shipwreck opens up the possibilities of discovering more aspects of the history of the San José galleon.
“The direct examine of the macuquinas, the porcelain cups, the cannon and the sediment stays related to these objects will enable us to delve deeper into elements of the investigation.”
Areas of examine embody the composition of the artifacts, the origin of their manufacture, chronology, and manufacturing applied sciences of the time.
The Colombian authorities can be investigating the reason for the ship’s sinking, and has steered it may have sunk for causes apart from an explosion, together with injury to the hull.
Bogotá says its analysis undertaking includes a variety of phases, the primary of which was a non-intrusive examine of the wreck’s archaeological context and particles discipline.
The newly recovered gadgets had been introduced up as a part of the second part: gathering artifacts and adapting them for preservation in a non-marine atmosphere.
