Colombia Recovers Artifacts From Legendary San José Shipwreck

Colombian scientists have brought up a cannon, three coins, and a porcelain cup from the San José, a Spanish galleon sunk by an English fleet in 1708 off Cartagena, on the Colombian coast. The items were raised from roughly 600 metres as part of a government mission aimed at understanding how the ship went down rather than retrieving treasure.

The San José is believed to hold about 11 million gold and silver coins and emeralds, valued at up to $17 billion, and remains the focus of an ongoing legal fight with US investors claiming salvage rights. Authorities say the newly recovered artifacts are undergoing conservation in a dedicated laboratory and will inform future research.