Recovery of bounty from 18th-century shipwreck

Columbia’s government on Friday announced an expedition to remove items of “incalculable value” from the wreck of the legendary San Jose Galleon, which sank in 1708 while laden with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

Culture Minister Juan David Correa said seven years after the discovery of the wreck off Colombia’s coast, an underwater robot would be sent to recover some of its bounty.

Between April and May, the robot would extract items from the outside of the galleon to see “how they materialise when they come out (of the water) and to understand what we can do” to recover the rest of the treasures, said Correa.

The operation will cost more than $4.5million (about R86.6m) and the robot will work at a depth of 600metres to remove items such as ceramics, pieces of wood and shells “without modifying or damaging the wreck”, Correa said.

After three centuries submerged underwater, most items on board had undergone “physical and chemical” changes and could disintegrate when pulled out of the water, said Captain Alexandra Chadid, a Navy researcher.

The location of the expedition is being kept secret to protect the site from treasure hunters.

The galleon was owned by the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the British Navy in 1708.