【2018年12月号】圣荷西号─沉船的圣杯终被寻获

The San José: The Holy Grail ofShipwrecks

The year is 1708, and the San José, amassive Spanish sailing ship, is engaged in battle with British ships off thecoast of Cartagena, Colombia. The San José is leading a fleet loaded up withriches from Spain’s South American colonies. However, as the battle progresses,it seems as if the Spanish fleet may not make it back to Europe. Eventually,the San José is hit and explodes, sending men and treasures into the air andsea. Of the 600 sailors aboard, only 11 survive.

The San José’s shipwreck is considered the“holy grail of shipwrecks” because the amount of wealth the ship wastransporting is now estimated to be worth as much as US$20 billion. The sunkenship is thought to contain numerous gold and silver coins, as well as emeralds.For centuries, the shipwreck’s exact location was a mystery. Colombia’sgovernment claimed that if it was ever found, Colombia would own all thetreasure, which was backed by an American court in 2011.

In2015, the Colombian Navy found the San José, and marine archeologists confirmedthe shipwreck’s identity by inspecting the dolphin-shaped handles on itscannons. Spain, however, is considering making its own claim on the treasure,since the San José was a Spanish ship. To protect it from foreign countries ortreasure hunters, Colombia’s government is keeping the ship’s location asecret. It plans to build a lab and a museum to preserve and display thewreck’s contents. If it manages to do so, the world will have a means to witnessthe cultural heritage the vessel left behind.

圣荷西号──沉船的圣杯终被寻获

时间是西元 1708 年，圣荷西号是一艘西班牙的巨型帆船，正在哥伦比亚卡塔赫纳城市的近岸海域与英国船舰交战。圣荷西号率领一支舰队，船上皆满载来自西班牙在南美殖民地的财富。然而，随着战事演进，似乎西班牙舰队有可能无法回到欧洲去。最後，圣荷西号被炮火击中并且爆炸，使其人员和宝藏飞散天空及沉落海底。船上六百名船员之中只有 11 名生还。

　　沉船圣荷西号被认为是「沉船的圣杯」，因为当时船上载运的财富现在估计价值多达两百亿美元。这艘沉船被认为包含了无数的金银币还有绿宝石。几世纪以来，此沉船的确切位置都是谜。哥伦比亚政府宣称假使此船被找到，哥伦比亚将拥有所有的宝藏，而这点也在西元 2011 年得到了美国法院的支持。

　　西元 2015 年，哥伦比亚海军找到了圣荷西号，而海洋考古学家藉由检视船上大炮上海豚形状的把手，证实了这艘沉船的身分。然而，西班牙正在考虑声明对宝藏的所有权，因为圣荷西号当时是西班牙的船只。为了保护它不受别的国家或宝藏猎人所侵，哥伦比亚政府目前对此船的位置三缄其口。哥国政府计划建造实验室及博物馆来保存及展示此沉船的内容物。如果它顺利建好了，全世界将有办法可以见证这艘船所遗留下来的文化遗产。