The treasures of a “holy grail” shipwreck were unveiled in stunning underwater shots for the first time. Pieces of gold, cannons and perfectly preserved Chinese porcelain cups are still scattered throughout the legendary San Jose Galleon, more than 300 years after it sank in the Caribbean. The eerie blue and green images give a glimpse of the Spanish ship, which was first discovered in 2015 and is valued at ,6 12.6 billion. They were caught by the Colombian navy sending a remote-controlled vehicle to a depth of 3,100 feet to observe the wreckage. During the submarine missions, he discovered two unknown wrecks near San Jose. The ships of the colonial era are believed to be a galley and a schooner dating back 200 years to the Colombian War of Independence from Spain. The commander of the Navy, Admiral Gabriel Perez, said: “We now have two other discoveries in the same area, which show other options for archaeological exploration, so the project is just beginning.” To view this video, enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Gold coins from legendary shipwreck recorded in underwater footage for first time (Image: AFP) Archaeologists are now carefully examining images of preserved Chinese crockery found in sandy debris (Image: AFP) treasure recovered from the bottom of the caribbean sea (Image: AFP) Historians call San Jose the holy grail of shipwrecks because it carried one of the largest treasures ever lost at sea. At least 200 tons of gold, silver, precious stones and jewels collected in the South American colonies of Spain were sent to King Philip V to finance his succession war against the British. However, it sank in June 1708 after being attacked by the Royal Navy off the port of Carthage. Ownership of the wreck has been the subject of a long-running legal dispute between Spain, Colombia and Bolivia for years. The Colombian Navy sent submarines to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea (Image: EPA) Marine life swims beyond the cannons built in Seville in 1655 (Image: EPA) Spain insists their treasure belongs as it did on a Spanish ship, while Bolivia’s indigenous Qhara Qhara believe it is theirs as they were forced to extract the precious metals by the Spaniards. However, Colombia has found the wrecks in its territorial waters and considers them part of its cultural heritage. A legal challenge is expected every time the ship is recovered, but this could take years due to its significant depth under water. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
