They found the San José: Now what?

The Spanish Galleon San José. (Wikimedia Commons)

Three-hundred-and-ten years to the day after it sank off Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the Spanish Galleon San José is at the centre of an international dispute involving maritime law, cultural heritage, and a possible $17-billion treasure.

The 62-gun, three-masted ship was among the largest in the fleet of Spanish King Philip V, who was fighting the English during the War of Spanish Succession.

The wreck was actually discovered in 2015, but the story only made international waves last week when the Colombian government gave its permission to tell the world about the find.

San José the “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks

Known among marine historians as the “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks, the San José was filled with gold, silver, and gems plundered from the Potosí region of Peru and destined for Spain to finance the War.

Normally, the Spanish would protect such valuable cargo with an armed escort of warships. On this day in 1708, however, the escort was delayed,

Fleet Commander Admiral José Fernandez de Santillan decided to set sail anyway.

Big mistake.

The San José quickly encountered four English warships, and in the ensuing battle burst into flames when an English cannonball hit its powder magazine. The Galleon sank too quickly for English sailors to recover any treasure.

Six hundred sailors died in the battle.

The ship’s treasure, still resting 600 metres below the surface, is estimated to be worth anywhere between $1 and $17 billion (US$).

Dolphin designs on cannons a key piece of evidence

The discovery of the San José involved the Colombian Navy, Maritime Archaeology Consultants Switzerland AG, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI).

The Colombian Navy provided its research ship ARC Malpelo, and WHOI provided an autonomous underwater vehicle called the REMUS 6000.

Dolphins adorn the San José distinctive cannons. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

The REMUS 600 is the same vehicle that was instrumental in locating the wreckage of Air France flight 447 in 2011. It was also used to map and photograph the Titanic wreck site in 2010.

The vehicle descended to nine metres above the wreck to take several photographs, including some of the distinctive dolphin engravings on the Galleon’s cannons, a key piece of visual evidence, reports The Independent.

Considerable cultural and historical significance

The San José discovery carries considerable cultural and historical significance for the Colombian government and people because of the ship’s treasure of cultural and historical artifacts and the clues they may provide about Europe’s economic, social, and political climate in the early 18th century, according to a WHOI press release.

Teacups from the San José rest on the sea floor. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

“The discovery of this ship — one of the most important that navigated in our seas during colonial times — begins a new chapter in the cultural and scientific history, not only of Colombia but of the entire world,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in July, 2017.

Now it gets complicated

What happens to the wreck and its treasure now is a matter of debate among Spain, which owned the ship; Colombia, in whose waters it sits, and the marine archaeologists who found it. There are reports of an anonymous investor in the mix.

Further complicating matters are claims by the American exploration company Sea Search Armada that it discovered the San Jose 30 years ago and that Colombia reneged on its original recovery deal.

Finally, Unesco has also waded into the matter, urging Colombia not to commercially exploit the 300-year-old wreck.

For now, the exact location of the San José remains a secret. Regardless, Colombia is preparing for the contents of the ship to be salvaged and has already committed to building a state-of-the-art conservation lab and museum to process the wreck.