‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’, with US$17 billion treasure aboard, is found off coast of Colombia
The 300-year-old wreck of the San Jose was found by a tiny robot submarine
Spanish treasure fleets that traversed the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas and back were a 16th century invention as important as free two-day shipping.
Organised 70 years after Columbus’ first voyage, the fleet was made up of several specialised ships with one primary goal: exploiting the riches of the New World as efficiently as possible.
The San José, the largest galleon and the flagship of one group of Spanish ships that started sailing in the 16th century, was big and – thanks to 62 bronze cannons engraved with dolphins – deadly enough to deter or destroy ships, whether pirates or rival nations.
In theory, at least. On June 8, 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the San José’s gunpowder ignited during a battle with British ships, sending 600 doomed sailors to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean – along with gold, silver and emeralds from mines in Peru, a total haul valued at some US$17 billion in today’s dollars.
