Details of 1708 shipwreck emerge

Spanish treasure fleets that traversed the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas and back were a 16th-century invention as important as free two-day shipping. Organized 70 years after Columbus’ first voyage, the fleet was made up of several specialized ships with one primary goal: Exploiting the riches of the New World as efficiently as possible.

The San José, the largest galleon and the flagship of one group of Spanish ships that started sailing in the 16th century, was big and — thanks to 62 bronze cannons engraved with dolphins — deadly enough to deter or destroy ships, whether pirates or rival nations.

Except when it didn’t. On June 8, 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the San José’s gunpowder ignited during a battle with British ships, sending 600 doomed sailors to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean — along with gold, silver and emeralds from mines in Peru, a total haul valued at some $17 billion in today’s dollars.

A tiny submersible robot named Remus 6000 — capable of diving four miles underwater — discovered the centuries-old resting place of the sunken ship.

The vehicle, operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, uses far-reaching sonar to identify objects on the seafloor.

The wreckage of the San José was discovered two years ago, but the location off the Colombian port town of Cartagena and other details have been closely held secrets.

New details were released on Monday from the agencies involved in the search, including the Colombian military that ferried Remus 6000 to the search location.

“The San José discovery carries considerable cultural and historical significance for the Colombian government and people because of the ship’s treasure of cultural and historical artifacts and the clues they may provide about Europe’s economic, social, and political climate in the early 18th century,” WHOI said in a news release about the find.

Still, the researchers at Woods Hole say they have no financial stake in the haul.