The ship was sunk by the British Navy in 1708 through the Struggle of Spanish Succession
A sunken Spanish ship laden with treasure, described by some because the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks”, is about to be lifted from the ground of the Caribbean Sea on the orders of the Colombian authorities, Sky News reported. San Jose, a three-masted ship is believed to have been carrying 200 tons of treasure, together with gold, silver, and emeralds, value $20 billion. The ship was part of the fleet of King Philip V when it was sunk by the British Navy in 1708 through the Struggle of Spanish Succession. Solely a handful of the ship’s crew of 600 survived when the San Jose sank.
A staff of navy divers below the Colombian authorities had found the ship in 2015, mendacity in about 3100 ft of water. When the ship was discovered, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos described the ship’s haul as ”probably the most beneficial treasure that has been discovered within the historical past of humanity”.
Disputed Possession
Nonetheless, there’s at the moment a dispute as Spain, Colombia, and Bolivia’s indigenous Qhara Qhara nation have laid claims to the ship’s treasure. A US salvage consortium generally known as Glocca Morra additionally claimed to have discovered the ship in 1981 and stated that it shared the coordinates with the Colombian authorities on the situation that it may hold half the treasure.
The Colombian authorities disputed the claims saying a staff of divers below its command independently found the wreck at a distinct location, which stays secret. The corporate is now suing the Colombian authorities for half the treasure, value $ 10 billion, in keeping with Bloomberg.
In the meantime, the Qhara Qhara nation stated that the treasure ought to be returned to them after their ancestors have been compelled to mine it within the sixteenth Century. Spain, citing a UNESCO conference, claims rights to the destroyed ship because it belonged to the Spanish navy and the stays of a whole bunch of Spanish sailors lie within the wreckage., as per Metro.
President Gustavo Petro needs to carry up the large treasure ship earlier than his time period ends in 2026, in keeping with Minister of Tradition Juan David Correa who stated it was a precedence for his administration.
“This is among the priorities for the Petro administration. The president has advised us to choose up the tempo,” stated Mr Correa. He stated that the federal government hopes to ascertain an archaeological lab that may clear, stock, and examine the ship. The wreck might be moved to a nationwide museum later.