Atlantic galleons were around 500-1,000 tons, but the Manila galleons in the Pacific could be up to 2,000 tons. Legendary Spanish Galleon Shipwreck Discovered After Vanishing 300 John on Twitter Only 11 members of the crew of 600 survived, and the valuable cargo, worth at least an estimated $17 billion in todays money, sank into the depths. Archaeologists have recovered assemblages of Chinese porcelain shards from nearby archaeological sites, including some which were modified into projectile points by the local Nehalem Indians, report MAS in their triumphant summary of the Santo Cristo de Burgos wreck. There was not a whole lot to do on a galleon for the passengers. The Race to Preserve Treasures From the 'Nuestra Seora de las Jonah Martinez, 43, of St. Lucie, made the. Many pieces of wood have now been recovered by a public-private partner expedition, involving a grant from the Nat Geo Society, the work of the Oregon parks department, and SEARCH Inc, a cultural conservation and recovery firm that recently worked on the wreck of the HMS Endurance. The Wikileaks release of state department cables revealed that US diplomats had offered to side with Spain against Odyssey. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ab2aafbd4ff0f94ca7afd230e77533bf" );document.getElementById("ha6e1bc81c").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. (Google, List of Oregon Shipwrecks). The so-called Dokos wreck comes from between 2700 and 2200 BC. How Many of the 1715 Spanish Fleet Have Been Found by Treasure Hunters? The Santa Maria was beyond repair, but the crew was able to salvage some of the ships timber and used them to build Fort Navidad (the Christmas Fort), which was the first Spanish settlement in the new world. The Spanish fleet was made up of several types of vessels, including the heavy galleons, all of which were lost and have been discovered, and a lesser number of carracks. When the galleons finally reached port, they were greeted with drums, trumpets, and the ringing of church bells, and it would have been difficult to judge who was happier, the beleaguered passengers finally stepping on to the wharf or the merchants rubbing their hands in anticipation of the bountiful trade coming their way. The San Jos was a 62-gun, three-masted galleon that was sunk by the British with 600 people on board in 1708 in the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) before being found in 2015 laden with gold and valuables now thought to be worth $17 billion. | Spanish Colonial Empire in the Age of ExplorationSimeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA). Due to the extra speed, it is thought that the Spanish loaded some of the most valuable treasures aboard the San Miguel as it had the best chance of outrunning pirates, foreign vessels, or even the weather. Unlike folklore might suggest, pirates caused only 0.8% of sinkings. On the southern route from East to West, it was a relatively fast two months voyage. Another shot shows a large number of what appear to be teacups strewn across the sand. REMUS got within 30 feet of the wreck, close enough to image the ship's unique canons. Finally, each mast carried a flag such as the royal coat of arms and the pennant of the commander of the Spanish fleet. The ship, personally owned by Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598), was loaded with 22,000 gold pesos and 600 tons of precious silks and spices. Further evidence of the wreckage had never been located, until in 2013 fishermanCraig Andes came across some mysterious timber remnants in sea caves near Manzanita. Mark is a full-time author, researcher, historian, and editor. Other common features of the galleon were the beaklike prow, the setting back of the forecastle from the prow, a flat stern, and a smooth carvel hull. The name 'galleon' is derived from 'galley', the term associated with warships of any kind ever since antiquity but especially those propelled by a combination of sails and banks of oars. The wood of choice used in European shipyards was oak, in Havana mahogany, and in the Philippines, various local hardwoods were employed. An interesting fact about the Spanish galleon is that they found a Spanish galleon named San Jose which was claimed to have been carrying an estimated US $17 billion worth of gold, silver, and emeralds. (modern), Photo provided by Odyssey Marine Exploration, of coins recovered from the shipwreck in 2007. The comments below have not been moderated. 13 Lost Treasures of Florida Astoria, Oregon Timbers from the wreck of a 17th-century Spanish galleon have been discovered on Oregon's northern coast, state officials confirmed . The statement from the Colombian Armed Command also said: "This work has been validated by members of the Shipwrecked Antiquities Commission and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, ICANH, entities attached to the Ministry of Culture. This painting refers to Commodore (later Admiral) Charles Wagers assault on a Spanish treasure fleet off Cartagena in modern-day Colombia on 28 May 1708. Other ships departed from Panama and Venezuela and would meet in Havana Harbor, Cuba to form the convoy back to Spain. 16 of the Most Famous Shipwrecks That Sunk. Other artifacts that have been discovered include coins called "macuquinas," which were minted by hand at the time, a gold ingot and the crew's swords. 5 Most Valuable Spanish Treasure Ships Never Found However, as the Colombian government has classified the wrecks exact location, we thought it worth including in our list of missing ships, especially as its cargo could be worth billions as the most valuable ever. But now an epic battle over ownership of 594,000 gold and silver coins scattered on the ocean floor has ended with victory for the Spanish government, with the American treasure-hunter Odyssey Marine Exploration ordered to send the valuable haul back home. National Geographic, reporting on the conclusion of the mystery, note that the archives also contained the name of another such galleon lost to stormy seas soon after the loss of theBurgos. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.
