Neptune's Fortune: The Hunt for the San José Shipwreck
The San José, a Spanish galleon that sank off Colombia in 1708 following a confrontation with the British Royal Navy, has been at the center of a significant treasure hunt. The Colombian government revealed its discovery in 2015, while Roger Dooley originally located the wreck in 1981 without recognition. Valued between $4 billion and $20 billion, the treasure has sparked claims from Spain, asserting the ship is a military vessel and graveyard, and from Peru, which argues the gold was taken from its territory. An ongoing legal dispute involving Colombia and Sea Search Armada is currently taking place at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Key facts
- The San José sank off Colombia in 1708 after a battle with the British Royal Navy.
- The Colombian government announced the discovery in 2015.
- Roger Dooley found the wreck in 1981 but was not credited.
- The treasure is valued between $4 billion and $20 billion.
- Spain claims the ship as a military vessel and graveyard.
- Peru claims the gold was plundered from its land.
- Indigenous groups claim the gold was extracted by their ancestors.
- The legal dispute between Colombia and Sea Search Armada is ongoing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Entities
Artists
- Roger Dooley
- Julian Sancton
- Robert Marx
- Fidel Castro
Institutions
- Crown
- Sea Search Armada
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Permanent Court of Arbitration
- Archivo General de Indias
- Carisub
Locations
- Colombia
- Spain
- Peru
- Cuba
- Havana
- Seville
- Key West
- The Hague