Billions in Treasure Recovered from Shipwreck

Colombian scientists have recovered the first artifacts— including a cannon, coins and a porcelain cup — from the legendary San José galleon

sarah

Nov 21, 2025 - 21:05

Billions in Treasure Recovered from Shipwreck

A cannon, three coins, and a ceramic cup were among the first items Colombian scientists recovered from the depths of the Caribbean Sea, where the famous Spanish galleon San José sank after being attacked by an English fleet in 1708, officials said Thursday.

The recovery is part of a scientific investigation approved by the government last year to study the wreck and the causes of the sinking. Colombian researchers discovered the galleon in 2015, sparking legal and diplomatic wrangling. Its exact location is a state secret.

Dubbed "the holy grail of shipwrecks," the vessel is believed to contain 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds, and other precious cargo from Spanish-controlled colonies, which, if ever found, could be worth billions of dollars.

President Gustavo Petro's government has stated that the purpose of this deep-water expedition is research, not treasure seizure.

Colombia's Culture Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the cannon, coins, and ceramic cups will undergo a conservation process in a lab set up for the expedition.

The wreck lies approximately 2,000 feet below sea level.

"This historic event demonstrates the strengthening of Colombia's technical, professional, and technological capabilities to protect and promote underwater cultural heritage, as part of Colombian identity and history," Yanai Kadmani Fonerodona, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge, said in a statement.

The ship has been the subject of a legal battle between the United States, Colombia, and Spain over who has the right to the sunken treasure.

Colombia is in arbitration with Sea Search Armada, a group of U.S. investors, over the San Jose's economic rights. The firm claims it is worth $10 billion, which they believe represents 50% of the galleon's treasure, which it discovered in 1982.

Earlier this year, researchers analyzed intricately designed gold coins found near the wreck, confirming that they indeed belong to the famous San José. According to a new study published in the journal Antiquity, the coins depict castles, lions, and crosses on the obverse, and the "crowned pillars of Hercules" above ocean waves on the reverse.

In 2024, Colombian officials said a remote-controlled vehicle surveyed the wreck, uncovering numerous artifacts, including anchors, jugs, and glass bottles.

The Colombian government announced last year that it would begin recovering material from the ship off its Caribbean coast using several remote-controlled vehicles. The ship's exact location has been kept secret to protect this famous wreck from treasure hunters. Since its discovery, several parties have claimed the wreck, including Colombia, Spain, and the indigenous Qhara Qhara Bolivian people, who claim the ship's treasures were stolen from them. The wreck is also claimed by the U.S. salvage company Sea Search Armada, which says it discovered it more than 40 years ago.

The cause of the San José's sinking has also been debated. According to the Colombian government, British documents indicate the ship did not explode, but Spanish reports suggest it blew up in battle.

In any case, the ship – laden with emeralds and approximately 200 tons of gold – sank with most of its crew on June 7, 1708, while returning to Spain from the New World.

Items recovered so far by deep-sea cameras include an anchor and jugs, glass bottles, cast-iron cannons, ceramic fragments, pottery, and gold objects.

Investigators have also recovered samples of sediment that had accumulated on the ship over the years, which will be analyzed to "better understand the causes of the shipwreck," said Alhena Caicedo, director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH).