Colombia Will Try to Raise Objects From a 1708 Shipwreck Believed to Have a Cargo Worth Billions

The remains of the Spanish galleon San Jose that went down off the Colombian Caribbean coast as it was trying to outrun a fleet of British warships on June 8, 1708. Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History via AP

BOGOTA, Colombia—The Colombian government said Thursday it will try to raise objects from the 1708 shipwreck of the galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of dollars.

The 300-year-old wreck, often called the “holy grail of shipwrecks,” has been controversial, because it is both an archaeological and economic treasure.