An 18th century Spanish galleon dubbed the "holy grail of shipwrecks" for its storied cache of 11 million gold and silver coins - worth an estimated $20bn (£16bn) - has yielded its first treasures.

The San José, a 64-gun galleon of the Spanish Navy, was sunk by the British in 1708 when her powder magazines exploded near Cartagena, Colombia .

Now a Colombian mission to salvage the wreck has retrieved its first artifacts; a cannon, three coins , and some porcelain.

The recovery forms part of an expedition to the wreck, approved by Bogotá last year, following the rediscovery of the ship in 2015.

Image: Porcelain recovered from the shipwreck. Pic: Armada de la República de Colombia

Image: A cannon was also recovered. Pic: Armada de la República de Colombia

The San José li

See Full Page