External Reference

Date 1973 - 1988

Event ID 887367

Category Documentary Reference

Type External Reference

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/887367

(No accurate location cited). Although long variously identified as the San Francisco, Florencia, Florencion and Florida, this identification is questionable. The only ship such a name in the Armada was a galleon which sailed in the Levantine flotilla and is known to have returned successfully to Spain. The remains are more probably to be identified as those of the San Juan de Sicilia although this ship is not named specifically among the known ships of the Armada; it may be one of the several that are listed only as San Juan. Displayed in the National Maritime Museum exhibition of 1988 there was a swivel-gun dated 1563, recovered in 1905 from Tobermory Bay and attributed to the San Juan de Sicilia.

This ship was evidently a member of the Levant squadron of the Spanish Armada and came from Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik) in Dalmatia, where she was known as the Brod Martolosi. She was commandeered by Spanish authorities in Sicily in 1588, and like the La Trinidad Valencera (wrecked in Kinnagoe Bay, Co. Donegal, Eire), was probably a specialised grain-carrier, required for the bulk carriage of siege artillery and invasion stores. Her recorded tonnage was 800 and she was listed as carrying 26 guns with a complement of 63 marines [seamen] and 279 soldiers. As outfitted for the campaign, the ship carried 26 guns of various sizes and the senior officer embarked was Don Diego Tellez Enriquez, the ship being in the charge of Luka Ivanov Kinkovic.

The ship was heavily engaged and received damage in the English Channel engagement, before taking refuge in Tobermory Bay, in late September 1588, refuge, assistance and stores being granted by Lachlan Maclean of Duart in return for the use of a company of the embarked troops in an attempt (which proved unsuccessful) to besiege Mingary Castle (NM56SW 1) and in carrying out other local depredations.

The ship was, however, burnt and sunk (in a depth of less than 20m) before the completion of repairs following an explosion which may have resulted from sabotage by one John Smollett. The lower part of the hull may survive at a depth of about 8m below the present seabed some 80m from the present pier [presumably NM55NW 8013].

A tradition of 'sunken treasure' developed soon after the sinking and resulted in numerous attempts at recovery, all of which proved (inevitably) abortive. Bell-diving began in the 1630's and 1640's at the instigation of the Earl of Argyll and recovered several iron guns. The rights to the wreck were transferred to the Crown in 1660 in consequence of the Argylls' support of the Commonwealth, but were subsequently restored to the family. Further salvage operations (using a bell of Swedish origin) were carried out by James Mauld soon after this but raised only a further two large brass guns. After he left, Argyll himself raised a further six and an unnamed German speculator raised an anchor. Operations were also carried out by George Sinclair of Glasgow before Hans Albricht von Treilaben, the Swedish salvor of guns from the Vasa, began work in 1677. He noted that the forward part of the wreck was burnt, leaving heaped cannonballs visible around the main mast and various utensils elsewhere. The after parts of the wreck were covered by a 'heap of great timber' while cannon (one of which was recovered) were found on the seabed around.

In consequence of the Argylls' support of the Duke of Monmouth in 1685, their right to the wreck was forfeited by James II who authorised operations by Archibald Miller of Greenock, whose description of the wreck also survives and broadly corresponds with that left by von Treilaben but also records 'Dishes both great & small' of pewter or plate as well as ballast in the fore part of the ship. He stated that 'There is no deck upon her except in ye hinder part... in the fore part of the ship lie many great ballast stones and some shot amongst them'. The heap of ballast was probably concentrated forward to counter balance the downthrust of a large sterncastle. Miller also recorded the recovery of a silver bell, seven guns, three anchors, a capstan and various other pieces of ship's equipment while adding other (evidently fictitious) pieces of documentary evidence with the evident intention of securing the support of further backers.

In the event, a contract was given in 1686 to William Harrington, Richard Penclarvis, Cornelius de Gelder and Samuel Souton who recovered a further twelve bronze guns (but apparently little else) over the next three years. Right of salvage was restored to the Argyll family by William and Mary but no further operations were attempted until 1729 when Captain Jacob Rowe of London and his partner William Evans visited the wreck at the instigation of the Second Duke following their successful campaigns on the El Gran Grifon (HZ27SW 8001) and the Adelaar (NF60NW 8001). Using his diving 'engine' (essentially a horizontal copper or brass 'barrel') they accomplished a gargantuan feat of clearance, using winches and explosives to break up the structure of the ship but failing to find any treasure before leaving in 1731. The bronze gun of the French king Francis I that is held at Inveraray Castle (NN00NE 15.00) was probably recovered at this time.

Following the development of the closed ('standard') diving dress further unsuccessful attempts at the 'recovery' of treasure were carried out by Gush (in 1871), by the Glasgow Salvage Association (in 1901) and by Col K M Foss and Magaret Naylor (between 1909 and 1932). Other attempts at recovery were made by 'Buster' Crabb (in the 1950's) and in 1975 and 1982.

C L Martin 1973; K Muckelroy 1980; M J Rodriguez-Salgado 1988; C Martin and G Parker 1988; C Martin 1998; J P Delgado 1998.