In November 2015, the MAC survey team and WHOI researchers returned to Colombian waters for a second search effort. Side scan sonar images gave the crew the first indications of the find from of the wreck. To confirm the wreck’s identity, REMUS descended to just 30 feet above the wreck where it was able to capture photos of a key distinguishing feature of the San José—its cannons. (REMUS image, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
WOODS HOLE – The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has released details from its role in the discovery of a Spanish ship which sank off the Coast of Columbia with a cargo believed to be worth billions of dollars in the early 1700s.
The San Jose sank with a treasure of gold, silver and emeralds during a battle with British ships in 1708 in the War of Spanish Succession.
Details of the 2015 disovery were released Monday with permission from the involved agencies, Maritime Archaeology Consultants and Switzerland AG, and the Columbia government.
WHOI research crews used the autonomous underwater vehicle REMUS 6000 to survey the wreck site and identify the ship with photos of its distinguishable cannons.
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