As part of the second phase of the research project Towards the heart of the San José Galleon, the National Navy carried out Operation Poseidon, an unprecedented union of military operations to support the collection of the five archaeological objects recovered of the San José Galleon Protected Archaeological Area, thus reaffirming its essential role in the protection of the country's Submerged Cultural Heritage.
For this operation, the Naval Institution sent Surface Units with differential navigation resources, safe maritime transport, stability in the open sea and positioning accuracy, fundamental to operate at a point of high scientific sensitivity such as the wreck site, thus leading the controlled transfer of the inter-institutional team, the operation of robotic systems and the proper transport of the pieces from the seabed to the surface.
The operation was attended by the Diving and Rescue Divers of the National Navy, specialists in complex underwater operations, who executed the observation, search and review maneuvers of the archaeological context and, in addition, were those responsible for carrying out the extraction of the objects using safe and controlled techniques, ensuring the good physical condition of the material and the environment.
The collection, carried out with remote handling systems, led to the recovery of a cannon, a porcelain cup, three macuquinas (rudimentary coins) and ceramic fragments and associated sediment, which will be taken to the Submerged Cultural Heritage Laboratory of the Center for Oceanographic and Hydrographic Research of the Caribbean –CIOH-, belonging to the General Maritime Directorate –DIMAR-.
Once there, the objects will be submitted to archaeological and archaeometric analysis that will lead to develop knowledge about the history, origin and status of the galleon. The project is jointly led by the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge, the National Navy, the Maritime General Directorate and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History –ICANH-.
Through these operations, the National Navy reaffirms its commitment to the protection, study and dissemination of Submerged Cultural Heritage, contributing its naval, scientific and human resources to the preservation of one of the most important historical treasures of the country.
Source: Press – Navy of Colombia
