'Holy grail' of shipwrecks laden with treasures worth £12.6 BILLION that sank...

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‘Holy grail’ of shipwrecks laden with treasures worth £12.6 BILLION that sank to the bottom of the Caribbean 300 years ago was found using an autonomous robot

The San Jose off the coast of Colombia contains one of the most valuable hauls of treasure ever lost at sea
62-gun, three-masted galleon, went down on June 8, 1708, with 600 people during a battle with British ships
REMUS 6000 autonomous robot used sonar to find the San Jose under 2,000 feet (600 metres) of water
Exact location of the shipwreck is secret due to a legal dispute regarding who owns the wealth of treasures

It has been described as the ‘holy grail’ of shipwrecks containing one of the most valuable hauls of treasure ever lost at sea.

Named the San Jose, the 18th-century Spanish galleon was found three years ago off the coast of Colombia.

Now new details have emerged about the discovery of the shipwreck, which contains £12.6 billion ($17 billion) worth of treasure.

According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the San Jose was located by an underwater autonomous robot.

The REMUS 6000 – which also helped find the wreckage of Air France 447 in 2011 – used sonar to find the San Jose in more than 2,000 feet (600 metres) of water.

The institution said it was keeping its involvement in the discovery quiet out of respect for the Colombian government.

The exact location of the shipwreck currently remains a secret due to a legal dispute regarding who owns the wealth of treasures on board.

A Spanish galleon laden with treasures worth £12.6 billion ($17 billion) that sank to the bottom of the Caribbean 300 years ago was found using an autonomous robot, researchers have revealed. Pictured is a photo by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution showing ceramic jars and other items from shipwreck

The 62-gun, three-masted galleon, went down on June 8, 1708, with 600 people on board as well as a treasure of gold, silver and emeralds during a battle with British ships in the War of Spanish Succession.

The San Jose was transporting the booty back to Spain to help finance its war of succession against Britain.

The ship was found submerged off the coast of Baru in what is now Colombia, near the Rosario Islands.

It was discovered in 2015 by a team of international experts, the Colombian Navy and the country’s archaeology institute.

‘We’ve been holding this under wraps out of respect for the Colombian government,’ said Rob Munier, WHOI’s vice president for marine facilities and operations.

The treasure has been the subject of legal battles between several nations as well as private companies.

Several weeks ago, UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, called on Colombia not to commercially exploit the wreck, whose exact location remains a state secret.

Pictured are the cannons from the 300-year-old shipwreck of the Spanish galleon San Jose on the floor of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Colombia. The Massachusetts-based WHOI was invited to join the search because of its recognised expertise in deep water exploration

The 62-gun, three-masted galleon (pictured), went down on June 8, 1708, with 600 people on board as well as a treasure of gold, silver and emeralds during a battle with British ships in the War of Spanish Succession

WHAT WAS THE SAN JOSE GALLEON AND WHY DID IT SINK?

The San Jose was a 62-gun, three-masted galleon that went down on June 8, 1708, with 600 people on board.

It was one of many Spanish galleons that made trips between Europe and the Americas between the 16th and 18th Century.

When it sank, the San Jose was transporting plundered gold, silver, emeralds and other precious stones and metals from the Americans back to Spain.

This wealth was helping finance Spain’s war of succession against Britain.

The ship gained a reputation as the ‘holy grail’ of shipwrecks and was carrying one of the most valuable hauls of treasure ever lost at sea – worth around £12.6 billion ($17 billion).

It was found submerged off the coast of Baru in what is now Colombia, near the Rosario Islands by a team of international experts, the Colombian Navy and the country’s archaeology institute.

Why did it sink?

The San Jose was tracked down 16 miles (26km) off Cartagena by English Commodore Charles Wager from the Royal Navy on 8 June 1708.

A fight ensued, known as ‘Wager’s Action’.

Sources say that Wager initially planned to take control of the Spanish ship’s crew and cargo.

However, the powder magazines on San Jose detonated, destroying the treasure-laden ship before it could be captured.

Most of the 600 souls aboard perished when the vessel sank.

The British prevented the Spanish fleet from transporting the gold and silver to Europe in order to fund further war efforts but the loot would have been vast if they had managed to capture the ship.