The treasures of a ‘holy grail’ shipwreck have been revealed in astonishing underwater footage for the first time.
Gold pieces, cannons and perfectly preserved Chinese porcelain cups are still scattered over the legendary San Jose Galleon, more than 300 years after it sank in the Caribbean Sea.
The eerie blue and green images provide a glimpse into the Spanish ship’s hoard of treasure, which was first discovered in 2015 and is worth an estimated £12.6 billion.
They were taken by the Colombian navy who sent a remotely operated vehicle to a depth of 3,100 feet to observe the wreckage.
During the underwater missions, it uncovered two previously unknown shipwrecks close to the San Jose.
The colonial-era vessels are thought to be a galleon and schooner dating back 200 years to Colombia’s war for independence from Spain.
Navy commander Admiral Gabriel Perez said: ‘We now have two other discoveries in the same area, that show other options for archaeological exploration, so the work is just beginning.’
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Historians call the San Jose the holy grail of shipwrecks because it was carrying one of the largest amounts of treasure ever lost at sea.
At least 200 tonnes of gold, silver, gems and jewellery collected in Spain’s South American colonies were being shipped to King Philip V to finance his war of succession against the British.
But it sunk in June 1708 after coming under attack by the Royal Navy off the port city of Cartagena.
Ownership of the wreck has been the subject of a long-running legal row between Spain, Colombia and Bolivia for years.
Spain insists the treasure belongs to them as it was on a Spanish ship, while Bolivia’s indigenous Qhara Qhara nation believes it is theirs as they were forced to mine the precious metals by the Spanish.
However, Colombia found the wrecks in its territorial waters and consider it part of its cultural heritage.
A legal challenge is expected whenever the recovery of the ship takes place, but this could take years due to its significant depth underwater.
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