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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Hi Vance - any idear what this is ?

Hello Frank
The Ship you mention is the Galeon San Jose that sank 1708 near the island of Baru in front of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.  It is a dream treasure ship then it trasported the taxes of 11 years from Peru, most of it in silver.  So the cargo is evaluated in 1 billion dollars but the most important is not the oficial cargo but the smuggling cargo from the oficers of the crown.
The ship sank because there was a combat with some english ships and one grenate exploded in the munition chamber of the San Jose so the whole bottom was blown away.
The oficial position of a wreck that is assumed to be the San Jose is known but some historians say it is from a other Ship the Santa Margarita and the wood sample collected at the site suggest it is a sample from 1681 and so it is not sure if it is the San Jose.  It is in about 200 m dept at the edge of the continental platform. The rescue company used a Yellow submarine called the piccard? ( I am not sure about that) and also Rovs.
The last news I have (7 July 2007) is that the supreme court declared the Galeon National patrimony so there is no comercial explotation possible. The Colombian law from 1982 declared all sunken ships in its territory as national heritage, similar to  the indian tombs on land so every thing must be given to the Goverment.
The area is famous for its wrecks there are about 50 big wrecks with a lot of gold and smaragds on board.
The law permit that the rescue company keep 5 % of the cargo to pay their expenses.
That is the last thing I heard.
This treasure ships are archeological patrimony and have a lot of other problems, the Spanish goverment declared some years ago that all the cargo of spanish ships sunken in the world ocean are heritage  of the spanish goverment.  The indians that are now accepted as a political factor can claim that all the gold is part of their heritage then most of it was stolen from graves so it will be dificult in the next years to prove the gold was not obtained from graves.
It is an exciting issue.
Best wishes
Jürgen

ShellyDalg@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 5/16/2008 7:12:58 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, MerlinSub@t-online.de writes:
http://us10.pixagogo.com/S58UTKI1w3i7MrCq3k3Rlwmf!NJIXtcz98QjhtrnLTBfohGwnRAsABr!NX3BpBzjG1iwgm2Y3CZJks4SupEe1-wwCRiAiowMGp/DSC_2847.JPG
Has any one heard what is going on with that treasure galleon a US company found down there and was kicked out by the Columbian government ?
I heard there was 3 billion in gold on board, and the US company had a 50/50 deal with the Interior Ministry if they found it, but that when they did, the feds stepped in and gave them the boot. The article said the Interior Ministry didn't have the authority to make a deal like that, and confiscated the find. It was in the Columbian Supreme court I think, and was going to be decided on earlier this year.
It seems to me it was in pretty deep water, off the coast near Cartagena. (SP?)
The salvage company spent about 3 million on the search, and the investors were pissed! I think they were using ROV'S, AND a small submarine. Haven't heard any thing since last year. Frank D.



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