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Offshore ship being prepared for recovery of artefacts from San José galleon

Colombia is preparing the recovery of the first pieces of wreckage of the galleon 'San José', in the midst of a million-dollar dispute with a treasure hunting company. The Minister of Culture, Juan David Correa, announced that the exploration will begin between April and May 2024. The American company Sea Search sued Colombia for $10 billion, its estimate of the value of 50% of the sunken treasure. The crew of the 'ARC Caribe' was meanwhile preparing in the port of Cartagena to undertake the largest underwater archeology mission in the recent history of Latin America. The 'San José' was sunk by English pirates off the coast of Cartagena de Indias in June 1708. The extraction of the objects will be a scientific test to analyze how they react in the surface after resurfacing. On Feb 23, 2024, Colombia's government unveiled plans for the deep-water expedition to explore the 62-gun, three-masted galleon. In the ship's hold was accumulated wealth taken from Spain's colonies in South America, including 116 steel chests full of emeralds and millions of gold and silver coins. The government is committed to investing approximately $4.5 million this year alone in the archaeological exploration of the historic relic. The first phase of the scientific research will focus on surveying the deep waters surrounding the shipwreck, using state-of-the-art technology to gather vital information with submerged robotic technology, a navy ship, and cameras meticulously tracking movements at a depth of 600 meters. Colombia discovered the 'San José' in 2015, prompting a slew of legal and diplomatic disputes and shrouding its exact location in secrecy. The legal battle over the ship's rightful ownership has spilled over into the US, Colombia, and Spain. Sea Search Armada, a group of American investors, claims $10 billion — 50% of what they assume the galleon treasure is worth. The group claims to have discovered the sunken sailing ship in 1982. The Colombian government said it had begun arbitration litigation with the firm. The Colombian expedition is set to launch in spring depending on weather conditions for patrimonial reasons, not a monetary exploit. The expedition aims to reveal what life and death was like for the 600 people on board the galleon before it sank. Report with photos: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/expedition-300-old-shipwreck-could-134834056.html