Sunken ship discovered with estimated $20bn worth of treasure on board
- It’s said to be the “richest vessel ever lost at sea”
- The Spanish galleon, San Jose, sank more than 300 years ago but is set to be lifted from the floor of the Caribbean Sea
- It has an estimated $20 billion worth of treasure aboard
Published on Nov 07, 2023 at 7:11 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Nov 10, 2023 at 12:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
A sunken ship said to be the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks” will be lifted from the floor of the Caribbean Sea with $20 billion of treasure aboard.
Recovered on the orders of the Colombian government, the San Jose galleon is currently the subject of an ownership battle.
It’s attracted multiple ownership claims and is just one of recent, major historical discoveries.
These include a claim from Spain who want UNESCO to oversee the heritage site, the BBC reports.
There’s also a claim from Bolivia’s indigenous Qhara Qhara nation, stating that the Spanish extracted the wealth from its people, CBS reports.
However, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, said the recovery of the shipwreck is a “priority” before his term in office ends in 2026.
“The president has told us to pick up the pace,” culture minister, Juan David Correa, told Bloomberg.
It will be raised to the surface, if possible, through a public-private partnership.
The Spanish galleon was sunk by British Royal Navy vessels on June 8, 1708.
This was during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Its exact whereabouts remained unknown for over 300 years.
The three-mast, 64-gun vessel had 600 crew members, only 11 of whom survived.
It’s believed to have been carrying 200 tons of treasure – this includes gold ingots and coins, silver and emeralds.
It also includes intact Chinese porcelain, glass bottles, pottery and cannons.
And while its treasures differ from modern superyacht riches, it’s estimated to be worth between $4 billion and $20 billion.
That’s according to an ongoing lawsuit.
A US salvage company, Glocca Morra, first detected the wreck in 1981, giving the coordinates to the Columbian government.
However, it was a team of divers from the Colombian navy who found the exact whereabouts of the Spanish sunken ship in 2015.
It was the near the port of Cartagena off the country’s Caribbean coast.
According to Bloomberg, Glocca Morra are sueing the Colombian government for $10 billion – that’s half the treasure aboard the sunken ship.
The legal action is under the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
Colombia claims the coordinates given to them by the company, now called Sea Search Armada, didn’t help them find the shipwreck.
The Columbian government haven’t revealed the sunken ship’s correct coordinates.
As well as its treasures, maritime experts consider the vessel to be the “Holy Grail” due to its historical significance.
It potentially holds secrets as to the political, social and economic climate during the period of the early 1700s.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
