Researchers believe they have found the legendary Spanish galleon carrying treasure worth an estimated £16billion, more than 300 years after it sank off the Colombian coast.
The San Jose, dubbed the "holy grail of shipwrecks", is said to have been identified through new underwater images and artefacts recovered from the wreck site near Baru Island, off Cartagena.
Colombian academics published their findings in the journal Antiquity on Tuesday, providing the strongest evidence yet that the wreckage discovered in 2015 is indeed the fabled vessel.
The galleon sank in June 1708 during a fierce battle with the Royal Navy, taking with it gold, silver and emeralds from Spain's South American colonies.
The Spanish Galleon San Jose sunk in 1780Presidencia de la República - ColombiaThe breakthrough came through high-resolution images captured by remotely operated vehicles examining the wreck 1,970 feet beneath the surface.
Researchers identified silver coins known as "cobs" or "macuquinas" bearing the mark of Lima, Peru, and crucially dated 1707 - the same year the San José set sail. Some coins feature the royal symbols of Castile and León, emblems of Spain's empire.
The archaeological team also discovered Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (1662-1722) and cannons with inscriptions dating back to 1665.
These artefacts collectively provide what researchers describe as substantive evidence confirming the wreck's identity, solving a mystery that has captivated treasure hunters and historians for centuries.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The San Jose sunk in 1780, with some 600 crew members aboardWikimedia CommonsThe 62-gun galleon was sailing from Portobelo in Panama at the head of a treasure fleet when it encountered a British squadron led by Charles Wager, who later became First Lord of the Admiralty.
During the confrontation, the ship's powder magazines exploded, sending the vessel and its precious cargo to the seabed along with 589 of its 600 sailors.
Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza, of Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, explained: "Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries.
"The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early 18th century. The San Jose galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro vowed to raise the vessell
GettyThe discovery has ignited a fierce legal battle over ownership of the treasure, with multiple parties staking claims to the sunken fortune.
Colombia, Spain, Peru, indigenous communities and descendants of Peruvian miners who originally extracted the precious metals are all vying for rights to the treasure.
American treasure hunting firm Sea Search Armada, successor to Glocca Morra, is demanding £7.9billion, claiming it discovered the wreck in 1981 and that the current find is within "a mile or two" of its original coordinates.
The company is contesting a 2020 Colombian law declaring everything aboard the galleon belongs to the Colombian government.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced in 2023 that the wreck would be raised before his term ends in 2026.
Most Read
