The Colombian government has issued a new statement about its much-anticipated exploration of the 600m-plus deep San José, the Spanish treasure ship thought to have been carrying the most valuable cargo ever dispatched from the New World to the old.
It says that a recent expedition has “revealed a map of archaeological evidence never seen before, significantly expanding what was known until now”, although its announcement appears to be paving the way for what could be a protracted operation.
With no mention of the lost gold and emeralds that have made the shipwreck the subject of centuries of speculation, the statement concentrates on the archaeological challenges of establishing how the ship came to sink.
The San José was the flagship of the Spanish Tierra Firme fleet which, on 8 June, 1708, clashed with an English squadron off Colombia’s Caribbean coast at the Battle of Barú. At the time it was reckoned to be carrying some 11 million gold coins, 116 silver chests full of emeralds, seven million pesos and jewellery.
The ship’s sinking dashed the hopes of Commodore Charles Wager of capturing the galleon and its riches. Back home the English commanders were put on trial for allowing its loss, while Spanish survivors of the battle were questioned equally closely about how such a valuable cargo went missing.
In documents archived in Britain and Spain, the English insisted that the San José sank following an internal explosion, which would absolve them of blame for its loss, while less clear-cut Spanish testimonies indicated that English artillery fire was likely to have sunk the flagship.
40 football pitches
After years of international legal wrangling over ownership, previously reported on Divernet, and even rumours that the Colombian government had mislaid the wreck’s co-ordinates, the scientific expedition dubbed “Towards the Heart of the San José Galleon” is now reported to have got underway over the space of a week in late May.
The survey was led by the Ministry of Culture (Minculturas), the Colombian Institute of Anthropology & History (ICANH), the Colombian Navy and the General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR).
It covered an area of 461,300sq m around the main part of the galleon’s hull, equivalent to more than 40 professional football pitches. No details were given about the type of underwater vehicles used.
“While concentrations of archaeological remains had been detected in the area of the shipwreck in 2022, the recent exploration made it possible to characterise these accumulations in greater detail and discover new isolated elements,” reported director-general of maritime affairs Vice Admiral John Fabio Giraldo Gallo.
Among the finds he mentions are an anchor, structural components of the ship including rings and a possible nail, as well as everyday objects such as jugs, glass bottles and a basin.
“The discovery of new concentrations of archaeological material in the wreck of the San José galleon reveals the complexity of analysing this historical event since its sinking,” said Gallo. “All elements of the ship are being studied, from the stern to the smallest details.
“Each new discovery opens up research scenarios that allow for the formulation of more precise hypotheses about its sinking.”
Life on board
“We believe that there is a possibility of finding new remains that expand the information we had so far obtained in 2022,” said ICANH director Alhena Caicedo.
“This would be very relevant to identify important aspects of what was inside the galleon and would reveal fundamental aspects about life on board, the way the crew was arranged, the type of artefacts used on the ship and how goods were being taken from one place to another.
“The information can be very varied and any of these findings will give us invaluable knowledge in terms of the technique, architecture and uses of the objects that are currently at the bottom of the sea.”
Apart from archaeological progress, the expedition was also said to have revealed a “dynamic ecosystem” established around the wreck that had attracted species including a shark without a dorsal fin and a deepwater swordfish.
“Based on the new observations this year, we will make decisions on how to continue the mission in 2025 and 2026,” said culture minister Juan David Correa. “In October we will announce the next steps in 2025 on this journey to the heart of the San José galleon.”
Also on Divernet: Pieces of eight and teacups on San José wreck, Has Colombia really mislaid ‘Holy Grail of Shipwrecks’?, Colombia to step up treasure-ship recovery, San José shipwreck’s treasure is contested…
