San José galleon’s ruin site is now a treasure trove

Anglo-Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, Endurance, was discovered off the Antarctic Coast earlier this year. Believed to have sunk in 1915, it was widely regarded as one of the greatest undiscovered shipwrecks of all time. However, its discovery finally put an end to decades of speculations and conspiracy theories. The 144-foot-long vessel was found in an unexpectedly good condition, even after being submerged in water for over a century. 

Does this sound familiar? It certainly bears parallels to the chance discovery of the iconic San José galleon’s ruins, doesn’t it? These ruins were discovered in 2015 after being underwater for over 300 years. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a private, non-profit marine research facility, carried out the extraction process, and in 2017, the Colombian government announced that it would undertake the salvage operation. But guess what!? Earlier this month, the Colombian government finally released the long-anticipated images of the San José galleon’s ruins. They revealed that the ruins were laden with treasure worth $17 billion. 

Here’s some more information about this astounding discovery. 

The legacy of the San José galleon
Adventure seekers and treasure hunters regard the legendary San José galleon with an almost religious fervour. It’s no less than the ‘Holy Grail of Shipwrecks’ for them. Why? Studies show that it was carrying an exorbitant amount of wealth—$17 billion to be exact! This made it one of the most expensive shipwrecks in history. Launched in 1698, the 64-gun and three-master ship was considered one of the crowning jewels of the Spanish Navy. Both the San José galleon and its twin, San Joaquin, were part of the Spanish treasure fleet during the War of the Spanish Succession. 

However, in 1708, less than a decade after its launch, the British navy sank the San José galleon during the Battle of Baru. Sources indicate that the shipwreck occurred near Baru Island, in Colombia’s Caribbean port of Cartagena. Historical records also cite that there were 600 members aboard, out of which only 11 survived. 

The Treasures of the San José galleon
A remotely operated underwater vehicle, named REMUS 6000, was inspecting underwater regions at a depth of 3100 feet, when it had an unplanned encounter with the galleon’s remains. It was observed that the galleon was untouched by human intervention. The San José galleon was also identified based on its unique design of bronze guns engraved with dolphins.  

Sources further revealed that two new vessels—a colonial boat and a schooner—were discovered recently near the galleon’s wreckage site. These new discoveries contained several treasures, such gold and silver coins, ingots, swords and jars, emeralds, cannons, porcelain crockery, pottery, glass bottles and even Chinese ceramics. Together they are estimated to cost over $17 billion.  

A clip also shows that the ruins were covered in algae and shellfish, alongside the remains of the frame of the hull. For now, the Colombian Navy aims to recover more treasures and allocate sustainable funds for upcoming extractions. Their main goal is to protect the treasure at all costs and preserve the legacy of the San José galleon. The Colombian government, during a recent press conference, said: “All this treasure is a unified heritage, that it cannot be divided, that it cannot be separated, that it is a whole, of enormous patrimonial wealth.” In this regard, Spanish intervention is expected sooner or later.  

Interestingly, in 1981, a US-based group of investors called Glocca Mora Co. claimed to have found the ruins of the San José galleon. Operating under the name Sea Search Armada, their claims were never proven.