San José: Two new shipwrecks found off Colombian coast
- Published
- comments
Officials monitoring a huge sunken treasure ship have found two other historical shipwrecks nearby!
Experts were tracking the shipwreck of the famous San José galleon when they made the discovery.
The San José ship was sunk in 1708 by the British near the Colombian city of Cartagena in South America.
The San José was carrying one of the largest hauls of valuables ever to have been lost at sea, estimated to be worth billions of pounds in today's money!
What did experts find?
A remotely operated vehicle was sent 900 metres underwater and captured new pictures of the San José shipwreck.
It spotted cannons, pottery, glass bottles and even gold lying on the seafloor.
Columbian authorities say the cameras also stumbled across two more shipwrecks nearby.
What was the San José?
The San José was an old Spanish galleon, which is a large boat with huge sails and lots of different decks.
Galleons were initially used for sea battles during the 16th and 18th Century, or for carrying items to trade with other countries.
The San Jose was carrying gold, silver, gems and jewellery which was going to be shipped to Spain's king to help fund his war against the British, when it was sunk in June 1708.
People think the treasure might now be worth around £2.6 to £11 billion! That's a lot of sunken treasure!
- Published20 August 2015
- Published5 April 2022
- Published5 December 2015