The Colombian army has released images of the wreck of the Spanish ship San Jose, which has been underwater for 300 years and is thought to have carried nearly 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds when it sank in 1708. Gold, porcelain, pottery, glass bottles, and cannons are clearly visible in the images released to the public of the sunken ship laden with treasure.
“Thanks to the technological equipment and the work of the Colombian navy, we were able to capture images with an unprecedented level of clarity,” Colombian President Ivan Duque said in a statement about the observation mission. Duque said that the shipwreck is preserved for future rescue efforts.
Authorities also announced that during the observation mission, a total of 2 more shipwrecks from the colonial and post-colonial era were discovered.
The San Jose belonged to the Kingdom of Spain when it was sunk by the British navy near Cartagena in 1708. Only a few of the ship’s 600-man crew survived. Filled with treasures estimated to be worth billions of dollars in today’s currency when sunk on its way from the Americas to Europe, the ship was discovered in 2015.