A sunken Spanish ship laden with treasure, described by some as the "Holy Grail of shipwrecks", is set to be lifted from the floor of the Caribbean Sea on the orders of the Colombian government, Sky News reported. San Jose, a three-masted ship is believed to have been carrying 200 tons of treasure, including gold, silver, and emeralds, worth $20 billion. The ship was a part of the fleet of King Philip V when it was sunk by the British Navy in 1708 during the War of Spanish Succession. Only a handful of the ship's crew of 600 survived when the San Jose sank.
A team of navy divers under the Colombian government had discovered the ship in 2015, lying in about 3100 feet of water. When the ship was found, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos described the ship's haul as ''the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity''.
Disputed Ownership
However, there is currently a dispute as Spain, Colombia, and Bolivia's indigenous Qhara Qhara nation have laid claims to the ship's treasure. A US salvage consortium known as Glocca Morra also claimed to have found the ship in 1981 and said that it shared the coordinates with the Colombian government on the condition that it could keep half the treasure.
The Colombian government disputed the claims saying a team of divers under its command independently discovered the wreck at a different location, which remains secret. The company is now suing the Colombian government for half the treasure, worth $ 10 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, the Qhara Qhara nation said that the treasure should be returned to them after their ancestors were forced to mine it in the 16th Century. Spain, citing a UNESCO convention, claims rights to the destroyed ship since it belonged to the Spanish navy and the remains of hundreds of Spanish sailors lie in the wreckage., as per Metro.
President Gustavo Petro wants to bring up the huge treasure ship before his term ends in 2026, according to Minister of Culture Juan David Correa who said it was a priority for his administration.
"This is one of the priorities for the Petro administration. The president has told us to pick up the pace,'' said Mr Correa. He said that the government hopes to establish an archaeological lab that would clean, inventory, and study the ship. The wreck will be moved to a national museum later.
