The San José galleon belonged to the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the British fleet near Cartagena in 1708. He was returning from the New World to the court of King Philip V of Spain and was loaded, as it is believed, at least 200 tons of gold, silver and emeralds.
When the wreck was discovered in 2015 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos proposed initiating a recovery mission funded by the sale of part of the hoard. However, the current president has put the mission on hold to ensure that all of the ship’s wreckage remains in the country. Since then, authorities have said they intend to create a shipwreck museum with the San Jose galleon and other wrecks found off the coast of Colombia.
