First report from 2024 expedition to wreck of the San José
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Author: Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell
The first expedition to the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’, San José, returns with new archaeological findings, but no mention of its reported $20 billion worth of treasure
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The Colombian Ministry of Culture, Arts and Knowledge (Minculturas) has announced the results of the first scientific survey of the wreck of the Galleon San José – dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks‘ for its treasures – but has remained tight-lipped over the presence of the gold and silver it is believed to have sunk with.
The Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), the Colombian Navy, and the General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR) were also participating in the joint expedition.
San José was reportedly carrying 200 tons of gold doubloons, silver and emeralds when she exploded and rapidly sank outside the port of Cartagena while fighting the British warship, Expedition, in June 1708. All but 11 of her 600-man crew were taken to the sea bed with her.
The first expedition to explore the wreck was carried out between 23 May and 1 June, with ROVs dispatched from the Research Vessel Simon Bolivar covering some 461,307 square metres of seabed during the survey.
The results detail a huge amount of new archaeological evidence, including structural components of the ship such as one of its anchors, rings and a ‘possible nail’, plus other 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 analyzing this historical event since its sinking,’ said Vice Admiral John Fabio Giraldo Gallo, Colombia’s Director General of Maritime Affairs.
‘The location, registration and documentation of this evidence are essential to understanding the distribution of the materials that make up the Galleon and also the dispersion of its remains in the Protected Archaeological Area.’
‘All elements of the ship are studied, from the stern to the smallest details,’ added Adm Gallo, ‘Each new discovery opens up research scenarios that allow for the formulation of more precise hypotheses about its sinking.’
The report also details the biodiversity that has accumulated around the wreck, describing sightings of a so far unidentified species of ‘dorsal finless shark’ and a swordfish among the ‘dynamic and living ecosystem’ of the seabed surrounding San José.
The ship has been the subject of much controversy since the first expedition to find her was launched by a group of US Investors calling themselves the ‘Sea Search Armada’ in 1980.
The group claimed to have found the wreck but subsequently refused to divulge its location after the Colombian government allegedly reneged on an agreement to split any profits from the salvage equally.
The wreckage was finally located and identified at a depth of 940m (3100ft) in November 2015 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution working together with the Colombian Navy. The Colombian government announced it would launch a salvage mission in 2017, until the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) intervened and said that San José should be classed as a world heritage site and its salvage overseen by UNESCO.
As a result, a number of different bodies have laid a claim to the wreck’s riches – the Colombian government because it’s in Colombian waters; the Spanish because the waters were under Spanish control at the time; the indigenous Qhara Qhara people of Bolivia who insist it belongs to them as their ancestors were forced to mine the precious metals – and Sea Search Armada, who say they are still legally owned a 50 per cent share of the salvage.
It is, perhaps, no surprise that the Minculturas press release makes no mention whatsoever of the treasure, but details instead how the scientists are investigating the wreckage to determine the series of events that caused it to sink more than 300 years ago.
There is a difference of opinion in the historical records as to how San José met her fate – the British commanders insisted the ship exploded (possibly to absolve themselves of blame for the loss of the treasure), whereas the Spanish records say there was no explosion, and it was British cannon fire that sank the ship.
The challenge, say the experts, is to ‘coordinate jointly between specialists in history and archaeology’ so that the differing versions of the story can be compared with the actual archaeological evidence, and say that more expeditions will be required to uncover the secrets of the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’.
‘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, Athena Caicedo. ‘This would be very relevant to identify important aspects of what was inside the galleon and reveal fundamental aspects about life on board.’
‘Based on a new observation this year, we will make decisions on how to continue the mission in 2025 and 2026,’ said Juan David Correa, Colombian Minister of Culture, Arts and Knowledge. ‘In October we will announce the next steps in 2025 on this journey to the heart of the San José Galleon.’
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