Treasure-filled shipwreck to be recovered after 300 years

The “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks is about to be recovered.

A sunken ship with more than A$30 billion worth of treasure will soon be brought back up to the surface.

The legendary San Jose, a historic Spanish Galleon, has been sitting at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea for 300 years after being sunk during a battle with a British squadron.

The 62-gun, three-masted ship packed full of treasure was the jewel in the crown of the Spanish navy during the War of the Spanish Succession before being blown up during a battle with British sailors in 1708.

Historians honoured it with the title of the “Holy Grail” because it was carrying one of the largest amounts of treasure ever lost at sea.

Exactly where the wreck sits is still a mystery to most of the world but it is thought to be off the coast of Cartagena in Colombia.

The Colombian government have kept the exact location of the ship a secret. President Gustavo Petro has ordered the San Jose and its treasure to be recovered as soon as possible.

Minister of Culture Juan David Correa said President Petro wanted to bring the ship to the surface before the end of his term of presidency in 2026.

“The president has told us to pick up the pace,” Minister Correa told news agency Bloomberg.

A HOARD OF TREASURE
A hoard of gold, silver and emeralds was said to be on board the ship when it sunk.

The Colombian navy sent a remotely operated vehicle in 2017 to a depth of 3,100ft (945m) to look at the wreckage and what was inside.

Incredible images showed gold pieces, cannons and perfectly preserved Chinese porcelain cups scattered across the San Jose.

Trinkets were seen twinkling under the light of the cameras as bronze cannons, swords, and clay vessels were spotted on the sea floor.

Spain, Bolivia and Colombia have been arguing about which country legally owns the treasure on board.

Spain said the treasure belonged to them because the San Jose was one of their ships.

Bolivia’s Indigenous Qhara Qhara nation said the treasure should go to them because the Spanish government had forced them to mine the precious metals used in the treasure.

But Colombia said since the San Jose was found by them in their country’s waters, they should keep the treasure.

ITS DISCOVERY
There is also an argument over who first discovered the missing ship.

In 1981, US company Glocca Morra said it discovered the lost treasure and gave the coordinates to Colombia under the condition it would receive half the fortune when recovered.

Years later, in 2015, Colombia’s then-President Juan Manuel Santos said the country’s navy found the San Jose wreck at a different location on the sea floor.

The company is suing the Colombian government for half the treasure, which is worth $20 billion in American dollars.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• galleon: a type of ship used from the 15th century to the 18th century
• squadron: a group of warships
• holy grail: something eagerly looked for
• recovered: brought up to the surface

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QUICK QUIZ
1. How long has the San Jose been sitting at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea?
2. Why did it sink?
3. Why is it known as the “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks?
4. How much is the treasure on board the shipwreck worth?
5. Which three countries are arguing over who should keep the treasure?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Buried treasure
If you had to rule as to which country owns this “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks, who would you find in favour of?

Name the country and declare your reasons below;

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Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, HASS, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What do you suggest the country that claims this shipwreck and all its buried treasure should do with all the jewels and artefacts so all can enjoy?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, HASS, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.

Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.