New images of one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks show its remarkable preservation on the seafloor off the coast of Colombia — while the search has revealed two more historic shipwrecks in the same area.
The latest photographs and video of the wreck of the San José treasure galleon were released by the Colombian navy on June 6.
The ship was loaded with an estimated $17 billion worth of gold, silver and jewels when it sank in 1708, and its wreck was only discovered in 2015. The navy used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to examine the wreck; its precise location is being kept a secret to deter treasure hunters.
The new images show that the wooden hull of the San José is covered in marine growth — ocean species that colonize substrate and shipwrecks — but is still remarkably intact after more than 300 years beneath the waves.
A spokesperson for the Colombian navy said cannons, coins and gold bars can be seen lying exposed on the seafloor, as well as a delicate set of porcelain tableware in perfect condition.
In many cases the preservation is so good that the searchers can read inscriptions on the objects. “With the inscriptions discovered, it was possible to determine the manufacturing sites of the ship’s cannons: in Seville and Cádiz, in the year 1655,” said Adm. José Joaquín Amézquita, the Colombian navy’s maritime director-general, said in a statement. “You also can see the different objects of gold, including the ‘macuquinas’ [a type of coin] and the date they were minted.”
More: $17 billion shipwreck near Colombia is remarkably preserved, new photos reveal | Live Science
Tom Metcalfe 