Colombian authorities have released the first pictures of the wreck of a 300-year-old Spanish treasure ship that was found on Friday after a decades-long search.
The San Jose was sunk by the Royal Navy off the coast of Cartagena 300 years ago, carrying up to 11million gold and silver coins, as well as emeralds and other precious stones. It was transporting the booty back to Spain to help finance its war of succession against Britain.
It had gained a reputation as the ‘holy grail’ of shipwrecks, as the ship was carrying one of the most valuable haul of treasure ever to have been lost at sea.
No treasure has yet been brought to the surface, but it is estimated that the haul will be valued at up to $1.5billion.
The first photos of the San Jose, a Spanish Galleon that sank off the coast of Cartagena more than 300 years ago, have been revealed
Finally found: Colombia’s president says searchers have found the wreck of the San José, a Spanish galleon that was sunk more than 300 years ago while carrying a big cargo of gold and precious stones
Experts sent down a deep-sea camera to examine the ship’s wreckage ahead of a planned salvage operation
Thus far, sonar images have spotted bronze cannons made specifically for the ship, arms, ceramics and other artifacts
The San Jose was found submerged off the coast of Baru in what is now Colombia, near the Rosario Islands. Colombian officials have not revealed its exact location.
Experts sent down a deep-sea camera to examine the wreckage ahead of a planned salvage operation.
Sonar images reveal bronze cannons made specifically for the ship, arms, ceramics and other artifacts.
Mr Santos, the Colombian president, said it was ‘one of the greatest – if not the biggest, as some say – discoveries of submerged patrimony in the history of mankind’. The wreck is reported to qualify as a UN underwater cultural heritage site.
The San Jose was sunk during an attack by Britain’s Royal Navy in 1708 in the Caribbean Sea close to the walled port city of Cartagena.
It was discovered by a team of international experts, the Colombian Navy and the country’s archaeology institute.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced at a press conference on Saturday that the ship would be salvaged and showcased in a museum
It is believed that the ship could be holding emeralds and gold and silver coins worth as much as $1.5billion
The San Jose discovered by a team of international experts, the Colombian Navy and the country’s archaeology institute
BUILDING AN EMPIRE: WHY SPANISH GALLEONS SAILED BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS LADEN WITH GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES
Between the 16th and the 18th Century, at the height of its Empire, fleets of Spanish galleons made countless voyages between Europe and the Americas.
They transported European goods to Spanish colonies in the Americas before being loaded up with plundered gold, silver, emeralds and other precious stones and metals to be taken back to Spain.
Two fleets of between 30 and 90 vessels would sail from Seville to the American colonies every year. One, the Flota de Nova Espana, would leave every springtime for Vera Cruz, in what is now Mexico, with ships detached to the West Indies and Honduras on the way.
On average, two fleets of between 30 and 90 Spanish ships would sail from Sevilla (Seville) to the American colonies every year. One – the Flota de Nova Espana – left in the spring for Vera Cruz, in what is now Mexico, with ships detached to the West Indies and Honduras on the way. The other – the Esquadron de Terra Firme – left in August for Cartagena, in modern day Colombia, and Porto Bello, on the Atlantic coast of Panama. After wintering in the Americas, both fleets met at Havana the following spring and returned to Spain together
The other, the Esquadron de Terra Firme, would set sail in August for Cartagena, in modern day Colombia, and Porto Bello (now Portobelo), on the Atlantic coast of Panama.
After wintering in the Americas, both fleets would meet at Havana the following spring and return to Spain together, under the protection of warships, known as galleons.
A change of strategy was implemented in the 17th century, however, when all treasure from the New World started to be transported in the galleons themselves.
English Commodore, Sir Charles Wager
Military muscle was needed to defend against attacks from Britain’s Royal Navy, which tried to capture the vessels as a way of cutting off Spain’s war finances.
The treasure ships were also under serious threat from pirates. So many seabound brigands were operating in the period that it has since been dubbed the ‘Golden Age of Piracy’.
Britain, the Netherlands and France, all hostile to Spain, hired pirates to plunder Spanish galleons in the Caribbean Sea. These pirates, called privateers, also joined forces with local raiders from Jamaica, Tortuga and Hispaniola in the Caribbean, who were known as buccaneers.
This combination of hostile forces led to the sinking of more than 1,000 Spanish galleons and merchant ships off the coast of Colombia during three centuries of colonial rule.
The sinking of so many Spanish ships left vast sums of treasure lying on the seabed, with some archaeologists estimating the total value of such wrecks to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
The San Jose was tracked down 16 miles off Cartagena by English Commodore Charles Wager.
A fight ensued, with Wager planning to take control of the Spanish ship’s crew and cargo. But before the treasure-laden ship could be captured, it was blown up. Most of the 600 souls aboard perished when the vessel sank.
Wager was a British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty between 1733 and 1742. He was heavily involved in the development of new bases in the Caribbean, and in December 1742 was appointed Treasurer of the Navy in the British Government.
Wager is said to have been living at Stanley House, Chelsea, when he died, peacefully, in May 1743 at the age of 77.
The former British Admiral was buried in the north cross of Westminster Abbey. He later had a monument erected in his honour with the inscription ‘The destroying & taking the SPANISH GALLEONS A.D. 1708’.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk
-- Delivered by Feed43 service
Post a Comment