Archaeological divers in northern Spain working on the only 18th-century warship currently being excavated in the country say it is proving to be exceptionally well-preserved – and that the work has “evolved into a saga of astonishing discoveries”.
The Santa Maria Magdalena, a Spanish naval frigate that sank in Galicia’s Viveiro estuary in 1810 after 37 years of service, is being investigated by Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities (FEDAS) divers.
The 41m ship sank during the Spanish War of Independence (1808-14), when Spain and Portugal joined forces with Britain to fight the French during the Napoleonic Wars.
Conditions at the wreck-site, just off Covas beach, can make the work difficult and the sediment is liable to shifting. Last September, however, the team had been surprised to find one side of an almost complete lower deck exposed.
Some 8sq m of the shipwreck has now been cleared of sediment, according to Ria de Viveiro Project leader Anton Lopez, as the team work to map the site and determine what actions are needed to conserve it.
Lopez says that one big surprise has been that the lining boards around the bilge appear to be free of any structural or organic damage. Cannonballs and ballast have been found as the area is cleared.
The 34-gun frigate was sailing from the city of La Coruña with 508 sailors and soldiers on 2 November, 1810, as part of the Spanish-British Cantabrian Expedition.
The aim was to wrest the town of Santoña further to the east from French control, but a sudden storm tore away the ship’s main anchors and it crashed into the Royal Navy’s lead ship HMS Narcissus, and sank with the loss of all but eight of those onboard. Five of the survivors later died of their injuries.
The Santa Maria Magdalena’s long years in service had included naval actions in several wars and battling piracy, in the Mediterranean, European Atlantic and Americas. The frigate is thought to have inspired Patrick O’Brian’s novel Master And Commander, which went on to become a successful movie.
The vessel was also used for scientific purposes by navigator and cosmologist Vicente Tofino de San Miguel while he was working to create Spain’s first maritime atlas.
The Ria de Viveiro Project is being carried out by FEDAS in collaboration with the National University of Distance Education, the University of Buenos Aires, the National Council of Scientific & Technical Research of Argentina and the University of Cadiz.
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