Searching for the tale told by several people from that area, this team decided to explore the sea. The locals told them about the possible things they could find inside the shipwreck that was lost in the sea some centuries ago. Intrigued by the legend this team wanted to see if this legend these local talk about with so much enthusiasm was even true or it has just been there for the people to believe in something. The most amazing part of this story is that it wasn’t a human who discovered this legend but a robot. You can imagine the place where this discovery was made that it required a robot to explore it. The best part is it was a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who brought out this amazing discovery in front of us that astonished everybody.
Remus 6000 was built for one purpose and that was to be an underwater robot. This advanced robot can stay underwater for a very long time that helps the researchers in discovering something exceptional. The team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution used Remus 6000 in their exploration and were taken aback by the discovery. The legend they heard about the sea was indeed true. You’ll be surprised by what this robot was able to discover.
For centuries people have been talking about a Spanish ship that came in this area some 310 years ago. The locals have been talking about this ship which was hiding something really special from the world. When this ship sunk it took the most precious thing with it. This discovery made by this made stayed deep buried in the sea for centuries. Finally, they were able to find it and brought out in front of the world. You’ll be amazed by the discovery.
This ship that belonged to the Spanish fleet some 310 years ago, traveled the sea while hiding something really precious with it. The crew on that ship tried their best to hide it from the outer world and they almost succeeded if this ship wouldn’t have been beaten by the sea. High altitudes tides grasped the ship which took its last breath lying on the sea bed. But the question what was these ships’ job? They found about it too.
This Spanish fleet of ships kept traveling in the Atlantic back in the 1700s, and raided the American colonies and took away as much as they could from those people. While they looted the colonies they stumbled upon something unbelievable that made them hide it from other people that didn’t want to share. But who could have thought after so many centuries these people would find it out.
This ship wasn’t some ordinary ship but a three-masted galleon called as San José. This ship was installed with 62 big guns and was used as the arsenal ship. But the reason of this ship being installed with such heavy weaponry was because of the one fact that it was hiding something. But in the year 1908, the British Navy destroyed the ship and later was buried underwater with that precious thing of which the British Navy wasn’t aware of. Recently, after 310 years people were able to discover what was hidden inside the ship.
When the British were trying to prove their supremacy, Spain was doing the same. The war was an everyday activity. The war was taking place on both the land and the sea. But it was the war on the sea that was seen as the game changer. Unaware of everything, the British navy finally defeated the Spanish ship which was drowned in the sea and took the precious with it. But this team made sure they find it. And they did. You’ll be surprised to see what did they discover.
Using the drone, researchers supervised the Remus 6000 underwater. This underwater technology used sonars and cameras to locate the desired things that stay hidden under the surface of the water. And this discovery was hidden 2,000 feet under. If the team wouldn’t have Remus 6000, there was no way they could have found it. Then they saw something…
While they were exploring the waters, Remus 6000 sensed something on the radar and it was Jeff Kaeli, a research engineer with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. At first, Jeff ignored it because he thought it might be a fish that hid under the sand to attack other fishes, but later it was something else entirely. Their life was about to change.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was founded in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This independent organization is one of the largest institutions in the world that is working in the field of marine science and engineering. This team was from this same institution that was able to crack the mystery that people spoke about for centuries.
As this organization has been working in the field of marine science and engineering, this institution’s agenda includes, geological activity happening in the depth of the sea and earth which includes plant, animal, and microbial populations. Their purpose is to find out how these organisms interact in the ocean, coastal erosion, ocean circulation, ocean pollution, and global climate change. But this discovery proved that they are more than this.
Reemus 6000 was busy with the task while one of the team members guided it towards the spotted thing. Looking at the screen Jeff was very much intrigued with the process. He wasn’t even sure if he would discover something this big but somehow the team was in the right place at the right time. Slowly, things started to become clear. Everybody was stunned because it’s not every day you discover things like these.
Jeff recalls the moment when he was watching the exploration live on the screen, “I just sat there for about 10 minutes and smiled,” said Kaeli, who was smiling on his luck. He wasn’t there but he was still living the moment which was adventurous in itself. When Reemus 6000 was recording everything Jeff was staring at bronze cannons that were carved with dolphins. These dolphins were the evidence that the long lost ship Spanish galleon, San Jose was now has been officially discovered. But still, they haven’t found that one thing which they were looking for.
Mike Purcell was leading this team of researchers, who is also a WHOI engineer, expressed that the ” wreck was partially sediment-covered, but with the camera images from the lower altitude missions, we were able to see new details in the wreckage.” That’s how Jeff was able to distinguish the engravings on the cannons. This little glimpse made the team work hard and their work hard really paid off. It’s no the cannons that are interesting but what they found later which changed everybody’s lives.
After they were able to locate the cannons, the team was sure that in no time they would be able to find the greatest discovery of all time. But little did they know, this expedition hasn’t been started. They were about to struggle with several problems that almost ended the whole mission of finding it.
There is no doubt that Reemus 6000 is one of its kind that has helped several researchers in their sea exploration. This situation seemed to be out of their reach that made them almost give up the mission. After coming this far where they have already found the lost ship San Jose they didn’t want to leave the mission at this stage. Then they found the reason to stay alive.
After coming this far, the mission of discovering one of the best things that had the chance to change their lives was looking very thin, as Reemus 6000 wasn’t able to go inside the ship where that one particular thing was hiding. The drone handler had an idea that could take the mission to another level. He suggested that they should search for an opening if there was one. And luckily they did.
The drone was guided to cover the whole ship to find an opening that could lead them inside the ship. And there it was, the perfect opening that could easily take the drone inside. The handler of the drone slowly moved forward to explore the ship from inside where they wished that particular thing was there. After searching for a couple of hours they found it.
Kaeli who was waiting for this very moment all his life found the start of everything. The moment his eyes caught a glimpse of the cannon of the ship, he was sure that this the ship people have been talking about for 310 years. “I’m not a marine archaeologist, but… I know what a cannon looks like,” also adding, “the only person in the world who knew we’d found the shipwreck.” Luckily his eagle eyes were able to locate the ship that changed everything. But as they say, nothing comes to us that easily. Even they faced one major hurdle.
That one thing for which the whole mission took place was a treasure that is worth $17 billion. The treasure was holding gold, silver, and precious gems but the problem was that its location was a mystery. Even after the lost ship, the team couldn’t locate the treasure but only found the clue that suggested that billion dollar was on this ship but was later shifted to some unknown location. The shipwreck was found in Cartagena, Colombia, but the exact location wasn’t disclosed and for the most fascinating reason!
Kaeli was very much impressed by 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.” This amazing robot was able to take several pictures of vases, bottles, porcelain teacups, cannons, and other lost treasures.
“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. He was right as this treasure was more than its amazing value which was $17 billion. There was a very interesting story that was attached to this treasure that stunned everybody.
Locating such an amazing treasure “was a pretty strong feeling of gratification,” expressed Kaeli. Looking at these pictures which Reemus 6000 took, we can see that it tells us about the ancient culture and history ready to come out in front of the world. This discovery was very important and sentimental for the Colombian government who wanted to know more about it. But the question was where is the treasure and who owns it?
Until recently, this amazing discovery wasn’t disclosed. According to Rob Munier, Vice president for marine facilities and operations at WHOI, said that they didn’t disclose the discovery because it was “out of respect for the Colombian government.” This discovery became so important that the United Nations had to intervene to solve the dispute.
There were still many questions that needed some answers. For one, how will these treasures be brought to the land from the sea? These treasures were buried 2,000-feet in bed floor of the sea. The second question, what will happen after the treasure was brought to the surface? But the Colombian Government had a solution for everything and this is what they were planning to do with the treasure.
The San Jose discovery was an important piece of culture, an history. This discovery from the early 18th century that took place in Europe was very crucial for the Colombian government. This discovery held some incredible pieces that could describe the social, economic, and political background in the past.
The Colombian Government insists that since the treasures were taken from Colombia back then, they should be given back to them at any cost. the government even plans to build a museum and a conservation laboratory to properly maintain the artifacts and these treasures would be put up on the display for the general public. From cannons to ceramics and artifacts this discovery was something to be proud of.
Today, this discovery found by WHOI is under a legal battle that is between Spain, Colombia, and private companies. Colombia plans to fully recover all the lost treasure, while the United Nations has clearly stated that these artifacts shouldn’t be exploited as they contain immense cultural heritage that is very dear to many people.
The Woods Hole scholars didn’t care about the dispute and it was the discovery that made them really happy about everything that was able to bring out in front of the world. They even said that they are not interested in the treasure as they are not treasure hunters but explorers
The team who discovered the treasure wishes to see the treasure with their own eyes as when they discovered the artifacts they watched it on the TV. But because of all the disputes and indisputable worth of the treasure, they know that watching it in person won’t be happening anytime soon. And there is no official news when they will be obtained fully.
The thing is that even if the officials obtain the treasure which includes golds, silver, and precious gems, there won’t be any news about it. The officials would take their time to completely examine the treasure’s artifacts and would later decide the future of the treasure. But who could have thought that this accidental exploration would discover something this big?
This Spanish ship has seen many wars in his life until it was defeated by the British Navy. As soon the dispute related to this ship is solved we would be able to see the treasure that made the United Nations intervene. This discovery that held cultural and historical value made the nations fight for it. The battle is still in process and sooner or later the case would see a new sun.
“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.
In 1708, the ship San Jose was running late. The fleet commander Admiral José Fernandez de Santillan insisted to sail the San Jose for Europe when he even was aware that there was an ongoing War of the Spanish Succession that could grasp the ship. Still, he decided to sail with 62 huge cannons that weren’t enough to defend the British navy. The war was on and in the end, San Jose met its fate with 600 people on board went down with it.
The expedition to start the exploration started in 2015, where the team of researchers started the sail on the same route with the help of the Colombian Navy’s research ship ARC Malpelo. It was in the June 2015, they sent Reemus 6000 underwater to locate the shipwreck. The team again returned to the same location for a second-round on November 27 in the same year. What did they find?
“During that November expedition, we got the first indications of the find from side scan sonar images of the wreck. From those images, we could see strong sonar signal returns, so we sent REMUS back down for a closer look to collect camera images,” said WHOI expedition leader Mike Purcell.
The word galleon is derived from the Old French word “Galion” meaning “Little Ship.” It is believed that these Spanish Galleons had the capacity of 500 tons, but it is also said that the Manila Galleons carried amazingly 2,000 tons.
Galleons didn’t have any machine power instead were powered by wind installed with three or four masts. These ships fulfilled both the purposes of military and trade. When these ships were defeated by the British navy people still were attracted towards the galleons as they had the capability to transform themselves from being a trade ship to the war machine.