More than £16bn of treasure on shipwreck identified - but there's a row over who owns it

​​​​​​​The San Jose was mislaid for centuries, its £16bn treasure trove of golden and emeralds swallowed up by the Caribbean Sea. Not immoderate more.

Researchers accidental they person identified the "world's richest shipwreck", a find apt to substance an planetary enactment implicit which state owns the 300-year-old galleon.

The San Jose was sailing successful 1708 arsenic the flagship of a treasure fleet, made up of 3 Spanish warships and 14 merchant vessels, erstwhile it was sunk aft an onslaught by the Royal Navy disconnected the seashore of Colombia.

Powder magazines connected committee the vessel detonated during the battle, destroying the vas and sending astir each of its 600-man unit to the bottom, on with her hoard of gold, silver, and emeralds.

More than 3 centuries later, a wreck believed to beryllium the San Jose was discovered successful 2015 astatine a extent of 600 metres successful the Caribbean Sea.

To find whether the vessel was so the San Jose, the Colombian navy utilized an unmanned, remotely operated underwater conveyance to survey the wreck non-invasively.

Sonar images identified bronze cannons, weapons, ceramics and different artefacts among its cargo - but the existent involvement was the gold.

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A fig of coins connected the oversea level person been revealed successful high-resolution pictures, according to probe published successful the diary Antiquity connected Tuesday.

"Coins are important artefacts for dating and knowing worldly culture, peculiarly successful shipwreck contexts", says pb researcher Daniela Vargas Ariza.

"Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins - known arsenic cobs successful English and macuquinas successful Spanish - served arsenic the superior currency successful the Americas for much than 2 centuries."

By analysing features connected the coins, specified arsenic the Jerusalem Cross, researchers person been capable to summation an knowing of the ship's relation and the events surrounding its sinking.

"This lawsuit survey highlights the worth of coins arsenic cardinal chronological markers successful the recognition of shipwrecks," Ms Vargas Ariza adds.

While the coins whitethorn inactive beryllium 600 metres beneath the waves, the recognition of the wreck arsenic the San Jose is apt to adhd substance to an ongoing planetary enactment implicit who owns the treasure.

Who owns the San Jose?

Spain, which owned the San Jose backmost successful 1708 erstwhile it sank, considers it a authorities ship; its remains are classified arsenic an underwater graveyard and cannot beryllium commercially exploited.

Colombia, successful whose waters the wreck is located, has suggested that Spain renounce its assertion successful its favour, a determination that immoderate interest could acceptable a unsafe precedent.

Colombian instrumentality favours treasure hunters.

Lawyer Jose Maria Lancho, an adept successful underwater heritage, said: "If Spain, successful this case, renounces its sovereign immunity, determination volition beryllium nary authorities oregon treasure-hunting institution that does not invoke this precedent."

Mr Lancho has filed a petition to Spain and UNESCO connected behalf of 3 South American indigenous communities, asking them to state the San Jose "common and shared heritage" from which they excessively should benefit.

The Killakas, Carangas and Chichas peoples estimation that their ancestors, often moving successful slave-like conditions, extracted the metals that marque up astir fractional of the ship's cargo from mines successful what is present Bolivia, past nether Spanish control, which were past transported northbound to Cartagena.

"Our autochthonal communities see immoderate enactment of involution and unilateral appropriation of the galleon, without consulting america straight and without expressly and efficaciously considering its communal and shared character, to beryllium an enactment of plunder and neo-colonialism," the indigenous communities said successful the letters sent to UNESCO and Spain past year.

Full representation credits: Daniela Vargas Ariza, Antonio Jaramillo Arango, Jesus Alberto Aldana Mendoza, Carlos Del Cairo Hurtado, Juan David Sarmiento Rodriguez and ARC-DIMAR 2022