Jump to content

Most Valuable Treasure In History Found!


Recommended Posts

Cartagena (Colombia) (AFP) - Colombia says it has found the shipwreck of a storied Spanish galleon laden with gold, silver and precious stones, three centuries after it was sunk by the British in the Caribbean.

"This is the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity," President Juan Manuel Santos declared on Saturday.

The San Jose was sunk in June 1708 near the Islas del Rosario, off Colombia's Caribbean coast, during combat with British ships attempting to take its cargo, as part of the War of Spanish Succession. The galleon was the main ship in a treasure fleet carrying gold, silver and other valuable items from Spain's American colonies to King Philip V. Only a handful of the ship's crew of 600 survived when the San Jose sank. The loot is estimated to be worth around $2 billion, its value having dropped significantly due to the falling price of silver, according to US-based company Sea Search Armada.

Full story at http://news.yahoo.com/colombia-finds-treasure-galleon-ending-300-mystery-230419797.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites


What really stuns me is the size of these ships in the early 1700's. A crew of over 600 - I find that simply amazing. The battle was known as "Wager's Action" with details at Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wager%27s_Action

post-1-0-10013900-1449427955_thumb.jpeg

Action Off Cartagena, 28 May 1708. Oil by Samual Scott (public domain)

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a lot of personal, considering a modern USS cruiser has about 330 personal. They had to have been stacked in there like

cord wood? Amazing history that's for sure..

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...