A lot of the time, finding sunken treasure is just a dream… This team from Massachusettes made their dream a reality when they designed an underwater drone specifically for this one shipwreck and found it. What came after changed their lives.
Remus 6000
The Remus 6000 was an underwater robot that’s sole purpose was to help researchers in discovering a 300-year-old mystery. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution had big plans for the little robot…
Their Only Goal
The team wanted to figure out where this mystery ship was. They knew that using the Remus 6000 would aid them greatly. They needed to know if the legends they set out to find are true…
The Legend
Local legend talks about a Spanish ship that sunk in the area around 310-years-ago. Allegedly, there was something extremely rare hidden in the hull of the ship…
Buried Deep
Of course, the story only survived through the locals telling each other for centuries. But, many travelers believed that it was real and set out to find the truth. They knew of the general area that it was on, so they just needed to investigate…
An Old Ship
The Spanish ship was part of a fleet that traveled the sea looting countries all over the world. The crew did their best to evade other ships and become virtually undetectable…
Their Sole Job
The only point of this fleet was to pillage and plunder. They traveled from country to country to steal anything they could. That could be why this one ship found its fate on the bottom of the sea bed…
Their Motive
The fleet mainly stayed in the Atlantic Ocean. Records show that they raided many American colonies multiple times, stealing anything that they could. That’s when they found something worth hiding…
Very Secretive
In all of the writings that historians have found about this Spanish fleet, they only ever talk about finding something of ‘significance.’ There are no writings available about what they found, which just made everyone curious… They needed to find this shipwreck!
The San José
The ship was called the San José, a three-masted galleon. The ship had 62 canons installed and was heavily used as an arsenal ship… That’s probably why they chose for that specific ship to hold the treasures.
Adding More Guns
After the discovery, they even added more artillery to protect it. They wanted to keep the treasure safe, so they didn’t trust to leave it on land as they went to pillage more overseas. That may have been a bad idea…
Going Down
The British Navy ended up crossing paths with the fleet, and destroyed the ship… Sinking it. It was buried underwater with no way to obtain what is on the ship. The British Navy had no idea.
Britain vs Spain
This was during a time when Britain was trying to obtain the highest power. Spain was also in the running to do the same. So, when the British Navy and the Spanish Fleet crossed paths, it was obvious that something was going to go down…
They Didnât Know What They Did
The British Navy sunk the ship and went on their way, but they had no idea what they had just buried deep… And no one would be able to find it for centuries. It was crazier than they had thought…
Advanced Tech
Researchers put the Remus 6000 to the test. Using sonars and camera, they tried to locate the treasure. Finally, 2,000 feet in under the water, Remus 6000 found something…
What Is It?
When Remus 6000 first sounded off that it found something, head research engineer Jeff Kaeli dismissed it as a fish that may have been under the sand, but then he looked closer…
The Institutionâs Background
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was founded in 1930 in Massachusettes. They are one of the largest institutions in the world in the marine science and engineering field. They were the first to crack the case of where the treasure is…
The Purpose
Their main purpose is to research geological activity in the deep sea, plants, animals, and microbial populations. They want to find out how those organisms interact with the ocean in terms of coastal erosion, ocean circulation, ocean pollution, and global climate change.
Passion Project
Obviously, the institute is not solely trying to look for pirate treasure! This was mostly a passion project, and it definitely paid off.
It Was Amazing
Head researcher Jeff Kaeli recalls the moment he noticed that they had hit the jackpot.  “I just sat there for about 10 minutes and smiled,†he recalled. They saw the bronze canons engraved with dolphins, which was a sure sign that this was the San Jose.
Found the Ship
So, they’ve found the ship. Now, they need to go deeper and find the actual treasure.
Real Success
Mike Purcell, another researcher, described the wreck as being, “Partially sediment-covered, but with the camera images from the lower altitude missions, we were able to see new details in the wreckage.”
Not Over Yet
They knew that since they found the canons, they would be able to find the rest of the ship and the treasure in no time. They had no idea what awaited them…
They Need More
They knew that they couldn’t stop there. The treasure was just a pipe dream that the Reemus 6000 made happen. They needed to figure out what the next step was…
The Reason
The more they surveyed the area through the drone, the more hope they were losing. Whatever they were looking for was definitely not going to be in plain sight. That’s when they decided to get a closer look and hope to find an entrance.
The Perfect Opening
The drone ended up finding an opening that could lead them inside of the ship. There was a perfect opening for the drone to sneak inside… Still, it took them hours of searching…
It Was A Risk
Kaeli said of the Remus 6000, “you can take bigger risks with your technology and go to places where it wouldn’t be safe or feasible to put a human being.”
The Treasure
“Everyone is focused on the treasure aspect… The whole thing is a cultural treasure. It’s a piece of history that’s sitting on the seafloor that tells a story,” said Kaeli. And the story was crazy…
We Found it!
Going inside the ship, it took two hours before they started to see some incredible things. The robot was able to take several pictures of vases, bottles, porcelain teacups, cannons, and other lost treasures.
Amazing Feeling
There was definitely a feeling of an ancient culture in the things that they found under the sea. In fact, it was very obviously Colombian artifacts…
The Government
The Colombian government quickly caught wind of their find. They needed to know more information.
Many Questions Left Unanswered
How did they plan on getting these treasures? It was worth at least $17 million! Then, what will happen when they do recover the treasures? The Colombian Government wanted to take things one step at a time… And, they had a plan.
Important
This was a fabulous discovery for Colombia. With this treasure, they could be finding some missing links that described the social, economic, and political background of their colorful past!
It’s True
After they recovered the treasure, the Colombian Government claimed that it was theirs. They are even planning to build a museum and a conservation laboratory all for the artifacts. They were proud to receive these items back… Yet, that wasn’t the end of it.
Spain Wants It, Too
Now, there is a legal battle between Colombia and Spain over the treasure. Even some private companies are trying to stake a claim in this treasure.
The Researchers
The Woods Hole folks didn’t care who got it, they were just excited to have discovered something. They didn’t even want to find the treasure for money but for the experience of it.
Their Statement
“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 the press release.
More Info
In 1708, the San Jose was running amiss. Fleet commander Admiral Jose Fernandez de Santillan wanted to sail to Europe…