Deep beneath the Caribbean Sea lies one of history's greatest sunken treasures – and three nations are fighting over who gets to claim it.
Off the coast of Colombia, the first archaeological artifacts have been recovered from the Spanish galleon San José, one of the world's most famous shipwrecks, which sank in 1708 near the port of Cartagena during the War of the Spanish Succession.
The ship, which carried approximately 11 million gold and silver coins, was estimated by Sky News to be worth about $20 billion and earned the nickname "the Holy Grail of shipwrecks."
A Colombian expedition brought up, for the first time, a cannon, three ancient coins, pottery, and porcelain items from the ship's remains at a depth of approximately 600 meters (1,970 feet) in the Caribbean Sea. The ship's exact location has been kept a state secret, and the debate over ownership of the treasure continues between Colombia, Spain, and the US.
An American investment group called Sea Search Armada claims it located the ship in 1982 and is demanding $10 billion from the treasure on board, but the Colombian government rejects its claims and views the San José as a cultural archaeological asset rather than a commercial treasure. Meanwhile, Spain claims the ship sailed under the Spanish flag.
According to Colombia's Ministry of Culture, the discovered artifacts underwent "emergency treatment" on a military vessel before being transferred to the Caribbean Oceanographic and Hydrographic Research Center for preservation and scientific analysis.
According to Elena Casedo, head of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, the scientific analysis expected to be conducted following the collection of the items may finally confirm that the ship's remains are indeed those of the San José, and shed light on the origin of the objects, the technologies used to manufacture them, and the trade route that enabled Chinese porcelain vessels to reach the Caribbean in the 18th century.
At the same time, the Colombian government is re-investigating the circumstances of the sinking. Alongside the known possibility – an explosion in the gunpowder armament – additional theories are also being examined, including external damage to the ship's hull.
The discovered artifacts join a catalog that already includes approximately 1,138 items that have been documented since the ship was rediscovered in 2015, including nearly intact porcelain vessels, gold ingots, hundreds of coins, cannons from Spain from 1665, weapons, suitcases, and additional pottery.
