As of: February 28, 2024, 5:53 a.m
By: Kilian Bäuml
Comments
Press
Split
Gold, silver and precious stones worth billions lie at the bottom of the sea in the wreck of the “San José”.
Colombia is now daring to recover the sunken treasure.
Bogotá – Only about 30 kilometers off the coast of Colombia, the recovery of a treasure that has been sunk for centuries is planned.
It almost sounds like something out of an adventure film: More than three centuries ago, the “San José”, a ship loaded with valuable goods, sank after a sea battle.
Her wreck is said to lie on the seabed near the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena and contains plenty of gold, silver and precious stones.
The ship's cargo is estimated to be worth several billion euros, so the Colombian government is planning an expedition to uncover the treasures.
A treasure worth billions of dollars is said to lie on the seabed off the coast of Colombia.
(Symbolic image) © Imago/Montage
Billion-dollar treasure in the seabed: Colombia plans to salvage the “San José”
The shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Colombia just seven years ago.
Now a diving robot is supposed to inspect the wreck.
Culture Minister Juan Davin Correa told French news agency AFP that the robot is intended to check "how they react when they [the ship's cargo] come out (of the water) and to understand what we can do."
Alexandra Chadid, a marine researcher, warned that after three centuries on the ocean floor, many of the objects may have undergone "physical and chemical" changes and could potentially disintegrate during recovery.
The “San José” and its valuable cargo
The “San José” was a ship of the Spanish crown and was on its way from the Latin American colonies to Spain in 1708.
It is estimated that there were around 200 tons of gold, silver and precious stones on board when it was sunk by the British fleet.
The sinking of the “San José” cost the lives of almost the entire 600-person crew.
Source: Deutschlandfunk
Sunken treasure of billions: Colombia starts expedition to “San José”
The planned expedition to recover the treasure is scheduled to take place between April and May this year.
The operation, which will take place at a depth of 600 meters, is expected to cost more than 4.15 million euros.
In order to protect the archaeological find, which is considered one of the most valuable in history, from treasure hunters, the exact location of the wreck remains secret.
The “San José” is not the only shipwreck that holds treasure.
Researchers also discovered a priceless treasure at a depth of 1,500 meters off the coast of China.
For smaller treasures in this country you sometimes just have to go to the beach, as amber always washes up there.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
Find out more about our AI principles here.