San Jose shipwreck's sunken treasure will be raised from the deep using underwater robot

[Prometheus]

San Jose shipwreck's sunken treasure will be raised from the deep using underwater robot after years-long tug of war over the trove of coins, gemstones and artifacts - as experts say secret Columbia mission could recover $20 BILLION of loot

The 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks,' housing up to 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds valued at $20 billion, is set to be retrieved from the deep sea with the aid of an underwater robot.  

The Spanish galleon San Jose sank off the Colombian port of Cartagena in 1708, as its powder magazines detonated during a skirmish with the British. Onboard were treasures worth billions of dollars, along with 600 sailors. 

Nearly a decade after the Colombian government disclosed the discovery of the legendary shipwreck, authorities announced on Friday that an expedition will embark on the recovery of these hidden treasures in April.  

Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP that an underwater robot, scheduled to operate between April and May, will extract items from the exterior of the galleon. 

The first step is to see 'how they materialize when they come out (of the water) and to understand what we can do' to continue the mission, Correa said. 

Authorities have kept secrecy about the mission's location, but the scientific ship in charge of exploring the treasure was seen anchored at the dock of the ACR Bolivar naval base in Cartagena, Colombia, on Friday. 

The operation is expected to cost more than $4.5million, but the value of items recovered from the shipwreck could be 'incalculable', according to Correa. 

In 2015, the Colombian government announced that a team of navy divers had discovered the legendary ship lying in nearly 3,100 feet of water. 

And in 2022, another team brought back jaw-dropping images of its perfectly preserved cargo.

But the discovery of the galleon has since sparked an almighty fight over who owns the wreck, with a US firm claiming it found the boat and demanding half the loot. Also laying claims, are the Spanish government and an indigenous group.

American research company, Glocca Morra, claims it found the San Jose in 1981 and turned the coordinates over to the Colombians on the condition it would receive half the fortune once the vessel was recovered.

But this was countered in 2015 by Colombia's then-President Juan Manuel Santos who said the Navy had found the boat at a different location on the seabed.

Glocca Morra, now called Sea Search Armada, is suing for half the treasure - around $10billion according to estimates - under the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, according to Bloomberg.

Source.