Ammon News - A cannon, three coins and a porcelain cup were among the first objects Colombian scientists recovered from the depths of the Caribbean Sea where the mythical Spanish galleon San José sank in 1708 after being attacked by an English fleet.

The recovery is part of a scientific investigation that the government authorized last year to study the wreckage and the causes of the sinking.

Colombian researchers located the galleon in 2015, leading to legal and diplomatic disputes. Its exact location is a state secret.

The ship is believed to hold 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds and other precious cargo from Spanish-controlled colonies, which could be worth $20billion if ever recovered.

So much treasure is onboard that wreck has become known as the 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks'.

The ship had been on its way to King Philip V of Spain when it sank along with 600 sailors. All but 11 of the seamen went down with the vessel.

President Gustavo Petro's government has said that the purpose of the deep-water expedition is research and not the treasure's seizure.

Daily Mail