Colombia to use underwater robot to remove treasures worth billions from 18th-century shipwreck
- The robot will work at a depth of 600m to recover items from the San Jose galleon, which sank in 1708 while laden with gold and emeralds
- The location of the expedition is being kept secret after the discovery of the ship sparked a tug of war over who gets custody of its bounty
Colombia’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 that 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 galleon’s outside 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 US$4.5 million and the robot will work at a depth of 600m to remove items such as ceramics, pieces of wood and shells “without modifying or damaging the wreck,” Correa said aboard a large naval ship.
After three centuries submerged underwater, most items on board have undergone “physical and chemical” changes and could disintegrate when pulled out of the water, said Captain Alexandra Chadid, a navy researcher.
