The Spanish galley of 1708 has been called the “grail” of shipwrecks but remains submerged to this day
The Spanish galley San Jose, filled with 200 tons of gold, silver and emeralds, sank on June 8, 1708, off Cartagena, the important port of Colombia, in a naval battle with the then British navy.
The Spanish galley sunk in full – with a crew of 600 and its untold treasure, worth up to $20 billion today!
The San Jose galley has been called the “holy grail” of shipwrecks but until today it remained submerged.
The Colombian government recently announced that it will begin a major operation to raise the famous colonial shipwreck, with the aim of having it completed before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term in 20126.
However, things are complicated as Spain, Bolivia and an American company, Glocca Morra, are also claiming a share of the galley’s treasure.
The company claims it claimed to have first discovered the wreck in 1981 and handed over the coordinates to the Colombian government with the promise that it would receive half the property when it was recovered.
However, in 2015 the Colombian government announced that it had found the sunken galley with its precious cargo in a different location than the US company indicated – so it owes it nothing.
Photo: Depiction of the San Jose galley, painting by British Samuel Scott (1702-1772)
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
