In what is now considered to be the holy grail of shipwrecks, Spanish president Juan Manuel Santos proudly confirmed that the wreck of a Spanish ship called San Jose galleon, with at least $1 billion worth of treasures, has been discovered off the Colombian coast near the port of Cartagena, according to the Inquistr.
The president even tweeted about the discovery of the 300-year-old ship, which sank while trying to escape from the British army on June 8, 1708. It had 600 people on board and was the ship with the most treasures aboard compared to the two other ships it was with during that time - the Santa Cruz, which was captured, and the San Joaquin, which was able to escape.
The wreck's identity was confirmed using autonomous underwater vehicles that brought back photos of dolphin-stamped bronze cannons that are still in good condition. No human has reached the site just yet, Fox News reported.
Colombian officials would not reveal the precise location of the wreck, but President Santos said the find "constitutes one of the greatest - if not the biggest, as some say - discoveries of submerged patrimony in the history of mankind," according to BBC News.
Once the shipwreck is taken out of the ocean, the responsibility, as well as the proceeds, of the sunken ship will be solely handled by the Colombian government, The Inquisitr noted.
