Autonomous vehicle helped locate 'holy grail of shipwrecks' off Colombia

San Jose, which was considered the "holy grail of shipwrecks," was located with the help of an underwater autonomous vehicle An autonomous vehicle was used in 2015 to locate a Spanish galleon that sunk 300 years ago off the coast of Colombia with $17 billion in treasure, the research team that helped in the discovery said on Monday. The San Jose, which was considered the "holy grail of shipwrecks," was located with the help of an underwater autonomous vehicle operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The institution said it was holding the discovery under wraps out of respect for the Colombian government. REMUS 6000 being deployed off the Colombian Navy research ship ARC Malpelo. The treasure--which includes of gold, silver and emeralds-- has been the subject of legal battles between several nations as well as private companies. Several weeks ago, UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, called on Colombia not to commercially exploit the wreck, whose exact location remains a state secret.