The seafloor of the Caribbean Sea looks like a pirate ’s estimate of heaven . Just off the coast of Colombia lie ashipwreck loaded with one of the most worthful hauls of treasure ever lost at ocean , estimated to be worth up to $ 17 billion in today ’s money .
The wreck of theSan José , often promise the “ holy grail of shipwrecks ” , wasfirst discoveredoff the glide of Colombia three years ago . However , many contingent of this challenging discovery have only just been released by the authorities .
The Spanish galleon was sunk by a British squadron during the War of the Spanish Succession on June 8 , 1708 . dilute with 62 grease-gun and up to 600 bunch , this colossal ship settle along with its huge gem trove ofgold , silver , and emerald . The ship was transporting the wealth as part of the Spanish king ’s mission to strip the South American colonies to fund the costly 13 - year - long war . By no surprise , this loot stand for that governments , treasure hunters , and researchers had been seek for the wreck for decades , until it was finally bring out 600 meters ( 1,968 feet ) beneath the wave by the Colombian Navy near Cartagena in 2015 .
Over the past few years , the wreckage has since been explore by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ( WHOI ) using sonar mental imagery and an autonomous submersed vehicle called REMUS 6000 , which has captured legion novel photographs of the situation . REMUS was also used to map and shoot theTitanicwreck siteduring a 2010 expedition and played a key part in the discovery of the crash of the Air France 447 rider airplane in 2011 .
The crystal - clear prototype entrance by the autonomous vehicle show legion features that have n’t been seen by human eyes for over 300 year , such as dozens of smashed teacups ( pictured below ) and ceramics used by the ship ’s bunch . One incredibly cool discovery was the stunning engravings of dolphins on the ship ’s bronze cannons .
“ The crash was partially deposit - covered , but with the tv camera double from the lower EL missions , we were able to see newfangled details in the wreckage and the resolution was good enough to make out the ornamental carving on the cannons , ” expedition leader Mike Purcell , IWHO engineer , said in astatement .
As for the one million million of dollar Charles Frederick Worth of atomic number 79 and silver , it remains at the bottom of the ocean . Who owns the treasure is the subject of amassive legal dispute , with Colombia and an American salvage company called Sea Search Armada both eager to take a slice of the pie . In the interim , the philosophical system driving this dig has been “ geographic expedition , not extraction ” , however , as more and more discovery are made onboard the wreck , the takings of ownership progressively tower .
In more shipwreck news , an800 - class - one-time Chinese shipwas of late identified thanks to its " Made in China " recording label – in earnest .
