New artefacts have been uncovered on the 18th Century Spanish galleon dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks” off the coast of Colombia.
The San José ship belonged to the Spanish Navy and was sunk by the British in 1708 because it was heading to Colombia’s port metropolis Cartagena loaded with tonnes of gold and silver cash.
The shipwreck was found at a secret location in 2015 but the first robotic exploration only began in May 2024. It’s estimated to be laden with as a lot as £16bn in treasure.
The researchers mentioned the newest haul is an “unprecedented set of archaeological proof”.
Among the many new finds are an anchor, glass bottles and a bedpan, in line with a press release from the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and Historical past.
The ship, whose possession stays contested, was carrying one of many largest quantities of valuables ever to have been misplaced at sea together with chests of emeralds and a few 200 tons of gold cash.
On the time, the vessel had been transporting its valuable cargo to the Spanish king to assist pay for his struggle towards the British.
Virtually 600 crew members went down with it within the Caribbean Sea.
“Outcomes of this exploration have revealed an unprecedented set of archaeological proof, which has drastically expanded our information,” the establishments in command of exploring the wreck mentioned in a press release.
Alhena Caicedo, the director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and Historical past, mentioned it included “a collection of recent supplies that we hadn’t seen earlier than”.
“Amongst different issues, items of wooden or components of the ship’s hull, at the least remnants indicating that there was wooden there, and traces of doable anchors,” she mentioned.
“Different varieties of objects discovered embrace nails, bottles, jars and a few completely different supplies like glass and ceramics.”
The Colombia President Gustavo Petro has made recovering the shipwreck a precedence earlier than his time period in cost ends in 2026.
However there may be an ongoing debate over who owns the treasure.
Spain claims the San José is a “ship of state” because it belonged to the Spanish navy when it was sunk and its contents are protected underneath a UN conference Colombia just isn’t occasion to.
However indigenous Qhara Qhara Bolivians declare the riches had been stolen from them.
And US-based salvage firm Sea Search Armada has taken Colombia to the UN’s Everlasting Court docket of Arbitration, searching for £7.8bn, over claims it first found the vessel greater than 40 years in the past.
