A Spanish crown galleon carrying billions worth of emeralds, silver and gold sank in 1708 due to an attack
Colombia has announced plans to recover the lost treasure of the remains of the legendary 316-year-old galleon San José with the help of a robot. C.B.S. News.
The Spanish crown galleon carrying billions worth of emeralds, silver and gold sank in 1708 due to an attack by the British navy while en route to the court of King Philip V of Spain from the New World. Of her crew of 600 men, only a few survived.
Eight years after its discovery, the Colombian Minister of Culture, Juan David Correa, announced that he will send an underwater robot to recover part of its riches.
According to Correa, the robot will only recover some objects from “the surface of the galleon” in April and May to test “how they materialize when they come out of the water and understand what we can do” to recover the rest of the riches. .
Additionally, he said the robot will pick up objects such as pottery, wood fragments and shells “without modifying or damaging the wreck.”
The operation is estimated to cost more than $4.5 million.
To keep treasure hunters away from what is considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history, the location of the expedition is being kept secret.
The ship has been the subject of a legal battle in the United States, Colombia and Spain over who owns the rights to the sunken treasure.
