According to a report in Newsweek, two marine vessels discovered near the remnants of the famed sunken San Jose galleon are filled with gold worth $17 billion. In 1708, the British sank the 62-gun San Jose.
A remotely driven vehicle recording the wreckage has now discovered two more adjacent wrecks: a colonial boat and a schooner believed to be from around the same time as Colombia’s 200-year-old battle for independence from Spain.
The wreck has been the subject of a long-running legal battle over who owns it.
The ship and its treasures, according to Spain, are a “ship of state” because they belonged to the Spanish navy when they were sunk and are protected as such under UN standards.
According to the officials, archaeologists from the navy and government are working to ascertain the provenance of the plates based on inscriptions.
President Ivan Duque stated, “The idea is to recover it and create sustainable finance structures for future extractions.” “In this way, the treasure, the patrimony of the San Jose galleon, is protected.”
