'Holy grail of shipwrecks' worth $20 billion to be raised from the seabed

[UM-Bot]

A 300-year-old Spanish galleon carrying enormous amounts of gold and jewels could soon see the light of day again.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/371958/holy-grail-of-shipwrecks-worth-20-billion-to-be-raised-from-the-seabed

[+and-then]

I wonder when Smaug will arrive? 

[Cho Jinn]

Don’t you mean $21 Billion?

[Antigonos]

This is the first time that I’ve heard of an entire galleon being raised to get at its treasure. Need to find out more because there are some points the article doesn’t address.

Is the ship in unusually good condition? After three centuries under saltwater most if not all wooden ships are in such bad shape they can’t be raised in one piece.

Do they know where in the hull the treasure is stored? There’s the problem of losing treasure as the ship is raised if it’s not sealed or reasonably securely contained in one spot.

What is the depth of the water it’s lying in, and what’s the surrounding underwater topography like? Raising ships off the sea floor is a very difficult, time consuming and expensive process, the more so the deeper the wreck is. They might be better off using some submersibles and deep sea divers to extract it if they can access it without raising the ship itself. They could blow their profit margin with several failed attempts ultimately making it a losing venture from a financial standpoint.

 I personally hope they do successfully raise it and recover the treasure, for the immense historical value alone.

Edited November 6, 2023 by Antigonos

[Hankenhunter]

A legal quagmire of epic proportions. This will be an even bigger fight than the Atocha was.

[Still Waters]

18 hours ago, Antigonos said:

What is the depth of the water it’s lying in,

 

Quote

at a depth of between 600 and 1000 meters (2000-3200 feet).

Related:

[Still Waters]

Latest:

The Colombian government has started exploring a sunk 18th Century Spanish galleon dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks”.

The South American nation has also declared a protected archaeological area around the San José galleon - which was sunk by the British Royal Navy in 1708 in the Caribbean Sea.

The ship, whose ownership remains contested, was carrying one of the largest hauls of valuables ever lost at sea when it was attacked just outside of the Colombian city of Cartagena.

It is estimated to be laden with as much as £16bn ($20bn) in treasure.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4nn983qmepo

[Bed of chaos]

On 11/6/2023 at 11:15 PM, Hankenhunter said:

A legal quagmire of epic proportions. This will be an even bigger fight than the Atocha was.

I just watched Atocha: Quest for Treasure (YouTube). It's very fascinating. 10yr search, cost millions, multiple deaths, including Fishers son. Pretty wild. Got any good book recommendations about this?

[Hankenhunter]

28 minutes ago, Bed of chaos said:

I just watched Atocha: Quest for Treasure (YouTube). It's very fascinating. 10yr search, cost millions, multiple deaths, including Fishers son. Pretty wild. Got any good book recommendations about this?

Sorry, no. I've watched a couple of documentaries on it. I'll see if I can find them. Ha, found the mother load.

You Tube Atocha documentaries has it all.

Edited May 27 by Hankenhunter
Content

[Bed of chaos]

2 minutes ago, Hankenhunter said:

Sorry, no. I've watched a couple of documentaries on it. I'll see if I can find them.

All good, I'll look around.

[Hankenhunter]

15 minutes ago, Bed of chaos said:

All good, I'll look around.

You Tube has a great library on the Atocha. Just found it. Along with a ton of great photos of the treasure.👍

[Bed of chaos]

Yep. After documentary I watched "Atocha Treasure" video from museum. The emerald rings and cross look magnificent.

[Hankenhunter]

6 minutes ago, Bed of chaos said:

Yep. After documentary I watched "Atocha Treasure" video from museum. The emerald rings and cross look magnificent.

Yeah, my jaw dropped when I saw what they retrieved. 

[Bed of chaos]

I'm browsing book titles. First one that came up "Fatal Treasure: Greed and Death, Emeralds and Gold". 

[Still Waters]

New finds in treasure-laden shipwreck off Colombia

New artifacts have been found on the legendary Spanish galleon San Jose, Colombia's government announced Thursday, after the first robotic exploration of the three-century-old shipwreck.

Among the new artifacts are an anchor, as well as part of the ship's cargo such as jugs and glass bottles. Four observation campaigns were carried out in 2022 by the Colombian Navy with high-tech equipment to verify the condition of the wreck.

The images reported had shown, among other things, cast iron cannons, porcelain pieces, pottery and objects apparently made of gold.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/finds-treasure-laden-shipwreck-off-023701391.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2kj0153zn0o