Into the Depths
Through the shadows to the ocean floor
Cartagena suffered dreadful sieges by pirates from many nations, French, Spanish, Dutch and English which led to its fortification and the famous ‘walled city’.
When you pass through the walls, just beyond the historical arches and strategic walls is the big blue Caribbean sea. The scene of many battles and while it is famous for its tranquil diving scene. The ocean floor is rich with much more than ocean life, if you are lucky you may find a doubloon or two.
Have you ever heard of a custody battle for a sunken ship? If it were worth billions, I am pretty sure that anyone with a 1% connection would want a piece of the pie. The 64 gun, 3 masted Spanish galleon San José sunk through the shadows to the ocean floor and on the epic decent it took with it what has been called ‘The Holy Grail’ of treasures. Weighted with silver, gold and emeralds worth of $17 billion USD she took her last breathe and departed the surface. It wasn’t until 2017 that a salvage operation went ahead, that’s over 300 years later.
But who does this reward rightfully belong to? The gold and silver came from mines in Bolivia. So it is theirs? The ship was from the Spanish Navy, so maybe its their plunder? But it’s off the coast of Colombia…and it is said that it was first discovered by an American company. The location is classified and coordinates of the galleon are state secret.
Bones of Ships
When the waves crashed and cannons bellowed
An estimated 1000 ships take up residence on the ocean floor off the coast of Colombia.
Another famous ship that rests off the shores of Colombia is the National Navy ship ARC Sebastián de Belalcázar. Although this ship did not lose its life during battle, she was deactivated from service and purposely sunk to continue serving as a tourist attraction for divers.
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