There are sunken treasures, and then there is the legendary shipwreck of the San Jose.
Considered by many to be the ‘Holy Grail’ of shipwrecks, we have been reporting on the explorations of the massive treasure since November 2023: The San Jose Galleon, the ‘Biggest Sunken Treasure in History’, Hasn’t Been Salvaged Yet – But It’s Already Causing Dispute in Court.
The remains of the Spanish galleon San José, estimated to be worth nearly $20 billion, has been located off the coast of Colombia. pic.twitter.com/Tsb02Cgu87
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) December 16, 2023
This week, it was reported that Colombian scientists have recovered the first treasures from the San Jose.
The Telegraph reported:
“A cannon, three gold coins and a porcelain cup were among the items found in the Caribbean Sea, and are part of a trove potentially worth billions of pounds.
The items were being carried by the San José, a Spanish galleon that sank in 1708 after being attacked by a British fleet.”
“The discovery is part of a scientific project directed by the Colombian government last year to study the wreckage and the causes of the ship’s sinking. It is believed to be 600m below the surface, but its exact location remains a secret.
Historians believe that en route it encountered Admiral Charles Wager’s British ships, which sank the galleon near the Caribbean port city of Cartagena. However, the Colombian government has suggested it could have sunk for other reasons, including damage to the hull.”
SUNKEN TREASURE: Check out these relics archeologists recovered in Columbia from the legendary 1708 San José galleon, wrecked in war. pic.twitter.com/Wo4sDkmCet
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) November 25, 2025
Archaeologists retrieve first treasure items from $20B ‘Holy Grail’ shipwreck off Colombia | Andrea Margolis, Fox News
Colombia recovers porcelain cup, coins and cannon from legendary San José galleon that sank in 1708
Archaeologists in Colombia have retrieved the first items… pic.twitter.com/OntjM57K6W
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) November 24, 2025
The vessel is believed to have been carrying 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds, and other treasures from Spanish-controlled colonies.
“It has since been the subject of a legal battle between officials in the US, Colombia and Spain over who owns the rights to the treasure. Sea Search Armada, a US-based salvage company, claims to have found the wreckage in the 1980s and is demanding $10bn in compensation.”
Read more:
New Images From ‘Non-Invasive’ Study Show Golden Treasure From San Jose Galleon, the ‘Holy Grail’ of Shipwrecks That Sunk in the Caribbean
The post First Coins and Artifacts Retrieved by Colombia From San Jose Shipwreck – Spanish Sunken Galleon Said To Hold a Treasure Worth Billions appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.