More information : Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:
Primary Sources:
A Relation of Proceedings. BM Cotton Julius F x. ff.111-117.
'The next morning, being Sunday, the 21st of July, 1588 . . . There was also at that instant a great Biscayan, of 800 tons or thereabouts, that by firing of a barrel of gunpowder, had her decks blown up, her stern blown out, and her steerage spoiled. This ship was for this night carried among the fleet by the galleasses . . .
'This Monday, being the 22nd of July, 1588, the Spaniards abandoned the ship that the day before was spoiled by fire, to which his Lordship sent the Lord Thomas Howard and Sir John Hawkyns, knight, who together, in a small skiff of the VICTORY's, went aboard her, where they saw a very pitiful sight - the deck of the ship fallen down, the steerage broken, the stern blown out and about 50 poor creatures burnt with powder in most miserable sort. The stink in the ship was so unsavoury, and the sight within board so ugly, that the Lord Thomas Howard and Sir John Hawkyns shortly departed and came unto the Lord Admiral to inform his Lordship in what case she was found; whereupon his Lordship took present order that a small bark named the BARK FLEMYNG*, wherein was Captain Thomas Flemyng, should conduct her to some port in England which he could best recover, which was performed, and the said ship brought into Weymouth the next day.' (10)
*footnoted as the GOLDEN HIND.
'July 23. Nic. Oseley to Walsingham.
'Right Honourable . . . And for that I do know he [Sir Francis Drake] doth write your Honour of that we past with the Spanish fleet the 21st, and this day 23rd of July . . . I do think it not needful to repeat. Neither of the other ship which we have also of theirs, who spoiled herself with her powder. Both of them, so Don Pedro saith, are of their principal ships. Of that we found aboard them, I refer me to Sir Francis, assuring your Honour they are not in such good order in their putting themself in battle; but aboard they have as much evil order, as I did see, who by Sir Francis' commandment was the first that went to them . . .
'From the REVENGE of her Majesty's, right against Portland, the 23rd of July, 1588, Your Honour's obedient servant, Nicholas Oseley.' (10)
[Calendared but not quoted in full in (18).]
July 27. The Council to George Trenchard and Francis Hawley.
'Whereas we are informed that the Spanish ship lately taken and brought into Portland hath good store of powder, bullets, and other munition and furniture, fit to be employed in her Majesty's service, we have thought good to require you, calling unto you Francis Hawley, esquire, Vice-Admiral of those parts, to take a diligent view and perfect inventory of all such powder, bullets, and other things of worth that shall be found in the said ship, and carefully to be kept until you receive our further direction; but for the powder, you may not fail, with all the speed possible, to convey the same to Dover on some little bark . . . ' (10)
[Calendared in summary in (18).]
July 31. Hawkyns to Walsyngham.
'The same Sunday there was, by a fire chancing by a barrel of powder, a great Biscayan spoiled and abandoned, which my Lord took up and sent away.' (10)
[Calendared in summary in (18).]
A Declaration of the Proceeding of the two Fleets.
'21st, Sunday . . . This fight continued till one of the clock the same day, wherein the enemy was made to bear room with some of his ships to stop their leaks. The same day, by an accident of fire happening in one of their great ships of the burden of [ . . . ]* tons, there were blown up with powder about 120 men, the rest being compelled to leave her; and so she was by the Lord Admiral sent into the west parts of England.' (10)
[Calendared in summary in (19)]
* blank in the original MS
August 9th. Burghley to Trenchard and Hawley.
' . . . Whereas by letters of the second of this present to my Lords of her Majesty's Privy Council, from the mayor and other of the town of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, earnest request is made that they may, for the better defence of their town and country thereabouts, be provided of some great ordnance to remain with them to her Majesty's use; wherein the opportunity being now offered to satisfy their desire with the remain of such ordnance as [was] brought to their town in the carrack lately taken from the enemy: to wit, eight pieces of brass, four old iron minions, and two old fowlers:
'These are to require you to deliver all these pieces of ordnance to the said mayor and town . . .
'And moreover, whereas my Lords are let to understand that in the said carrack were divers other commodities, which for want of landing and looking unto may perish or take much hurt, and also certain Spaniards: for the same commodities I pray [you], taking unto you the said mayor, and one or two other honest, skilful merchants from Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, to see the same landed, and safely preserved in some convenient storehouses; sending up a perfect inventory to my Lords of the same, and as near you and the said merchants can estimate, the just value and prices of these commodities according to their several kinds and goodness, that afterwards their Lordships may give order for the sale of the same.
'And touching the persons taken in the carrack, you shall do well to commit them to safe custody until further order be given from here; and in the meantime, to examine whether there be any man of quality or great account amongst them . . . '
'From my house in the Strand, the 9th of August, 1588. Your loving friend, W. Burghley.' (11)
[Calendared in summary in (19).]
August 24. Trenchard and Hawley to the Council.
'Your Lordships' letters of the 27th of the last, touching the Spanish carrack, we received the 29th of the same, and therein have performed your commandment in as much as in us lay, having ever sithence attended that service, as greatly delayed by reason of the far distance of the ship in the bay from this town, and by high winds. What therein we have found, and what order have taken, by these enclosed shall appear; think it also some part of our duties not to conceal from your Lordships the notable spoils that were made upon the ship, which came to Portland road seven days before our dealing therein; and much more had been, if happily the Lord Admiral had not sent Mr. Warner, a servant of his, before our coming, to take some care thereof; the disorder growing so far, as we could very hardly repress it ourselves, the great repair from all places being such.
'The bolting out of particularities we do refer to your Lordships' further order . . . Howbeit, if the fight had not been at that instant upon the coast of Purbeck, that ship had been better and sooner looked into. We have also, by the Lord Treasurer's letters of the ninth of this present, delivered to the mayor and others of this port such ordnance as in these indentures are specified; so that now it resteth only in your Lordships to set down your further pleasures for the disposition of what remaineth. Four other iron pieces, as minion and falcon, are left out of this indenture, as having no direction for the same.
'The carrack is so great as that she cannot be brought into this haven, and therefore we do attend your Lordship's direction what shall be done with her. She is much splitted, torn, and the charge will be great in keeping her here, for we are forced to keep therein ten persons continually to pump her for fear of sinking. Surely, in the stealing of her ropes and casks from her, and rotting and spoiling of sails and cables &c., the disorder was very great. It is credibly thought that there were in her 200 Venetian barrels of powder of some 120 [pounds] weight apiece, and yet but 141 were sent to the Lord Admiral. This very night some inkling came unto us that a chest of great weight should be found in the forepeak of the ship the Friday before our dealing. Of what credit it may be, as yet we know not; but do determine to examine the matter, and to send for the party that hath reported it. All search hath been made sithence our coming, but no treasure can be found and yet we have removed some part of the ballast. We find here no Spaniards of any account, but only one who calleth himself Don Melchor de Pereda, and nine others of the common sort; two Frenchmen, four Almains* and one Almain* woman; and since their landing here, twelve more are dead. We humbly beseech your Lordships to give some speedy direction what shall be done with them, for that they are here diseased, naked, and chargeable.
'The charges that are necessarily disbursed for the performing and discharging of this ship, her ordnance and loading, hath been so great, and so diversely disbursed, and yet unlevied, as we cannot particularise the same, but do think it will exceed well near to 200l, as by the accounts thereof, by the next messenger, shall to your Lordships presently appear . . . Weymouth, this 24th of August, 1588. (11)
*German
I. Adjoined is an indenture of the ordnance, both cannon and powder. (11)
II. 'The inventory indented of the burnt Spanish ship called LE SAN SALVADOR, Almirante de Oquendo, together with her apparel, munition, and loading, which arrived in the road of Portland the 24th of July, 1588; priced and valued the 24th day of August 1588 . . .
'Imprimis, the hull, Biscayan built, by estimation of the burden of 600 tons, being by fire blown up and spoiled, riding in the road; having a mainmast, foremast, bowsprit, and mizen, with the foreyard, and shrouds for the two greater masts; two old junks, two other junks somewhat better; two anchors and cables which she rides by; four anchors more, whereof the one lies in the road of Portland; a maintopsail, a course, foretopsail, spritsail, and one other new main course, all worth by their estimation . . . £200 . . .
[This inventory also includes the cannon, wine, and '3 pipes beef, bad'].
III. The note of the rest of the munition, goods and merchandise, belonging to the burnt ship aforesaid, not valued by the praisers aforesaid, by reason it never came to their view, but esteemed by us as followeth, viz.:
'Imprimis, sent to the fleet the 26th of July, 1588, by a bark of Dartmouth . . . 100 Venetian barrels of powder, worth by our estimation, £500, [together with further ordnance].' (11)
[Calendared as No.49, and No.49(I),(II), and (III), but not quoted in full in (20).]
November 15. John Thoms to Howard.
' . . . May it please your Lordship to be advertised of the great Spaniard; she was lost at Studland, but, God be praised, there is saved 34 of our best men; and there was lost 23 men, whereof 6 of them was Flemings and Frenchmen that came in the same ship out of Spain; and by good hap there came out of Studland a small man-of-war and saved these men . . . the ship had a new foresail, which was in Nicholas Jones' hands, of Portland Castle . . . so said Mr. Jones: "I pray send for it; you shall have it, and a dozen of oars." But it was least part of his meaning, for the next day the said Jones rode away to London, and left no order to deliver the same sail, neither none could be had . . I charge him before Mr. Trenchard, that the ship or men should miscarry, that he should answer for it; for truly, if Mr. Jones had not promised me the sail, I would not a defrayed any moneys upon her, but should a lien still. There be of his neighbours that are saved, and others of the company, that will venture their lives whenever they meet with him; for all those that are saved will depose that he was the casting away the ship and the death of the men. Sithence . . . I have been westward, to belay all such masts, yards, shrouds and small ropes or sails that should come ashore, to be kept for the Queen's use or any of her 2 pinnaces. Their anchors . . . there are marks taken where they lie, and I have given order that if they may have any fair weather they will sweep for them. There are 4 which weighs 30 hundred a piece, which I hope will help to quite [requite] this charge.' (11)
Relation of Medina-Sidonia, reproduced in La Armada Invincible, tom. ii, p228, translated in this edition:
'Sunday the 31st . . . Our fleet continued until 4 in the afternoon endeavouring to recover the wind of the enemy. At this hour, on board the vice-admiral of Oquendo, some of the powder barrels caught fire, and her two decks and her poop were blown up; in which was the Paymaster General of this armada with part of the King's treasure; and the Duke seeing this ship remaining behind, turned the capitana towards her, and discharged a piece of ordnance, to the end the fleet should do the same, and gave order to send boats to her assistance. The fire was extinguished, and the enemy's fleet, which was standing towards that ship, desisted when they saw our capitana bear with her, so as the ship was shrouded and brought into the main body of the armada . . . This night they removed the wounded and burnt men from the vice-admiral of Oquendo.' (11)
'Monday, the 1st of August . . . At eleven this same day the captain of the almiranta of Oquendo advertised the Duke that the ship was sinking, whereupon the Duke ordered the King's money to be transferred and the peeople to be taken out of her and the ship to be sunk.' (11)
Secondary sources:
Part of the Spanish Armada of 1588, the SAN SALVADOR was one of the most heavily armed ships in the fleet, and the headquarters of the Armada's Paymaster. Whilst off Dorset she suffered a tremendous internal explosion which has never been explained, but was said to be sabotage by a German gunner on board who had allegedly been cuckolded by a Spanish officer, but could equally well have been an accident. Two decks and her stern-castle were blown away and half of the 400 or so men on board killed by the explosion or drowned when they fell or jumped into the sea. The fire was extinguished but next day the ship was abandoned, captured by the English and towed to Weymouth. Here she was stripped of her guns, powder and shot, which went to reinforce the English army. Some days later she left under an English crew for Portsmouth, but foundered at sea whilst on passage. The wreck, as yet, has not been found. (1)(4)
Magazine exploded during the fighting on the 21st July killing 200 soldiers. She was subsequently abandoned to the English who brought her into Weymouth Bay where she eventually sank. (2)
The rescued survivors were later wrecked on the SAN PEDRO MAYOR on the Bolt Tail, 3 months later. The SAN SALVADOR was being towed to Weymouth. (5)
' . . . an English list notes the presence of a 'German woman accompanied by her husband, a gunner', on the SAN SALVADOR (later captured in the Channel half burnt out).' ' . . . a blinding ball of fire burst into the dusk. A moment later a shattering explosion echoed across the waves, and a heavy red and black cloud mushroomed up above the SAN SALVADOR. The whole of her poop was ablaze. On board the SAN SALVADOR were the Vice-Admiral of the Guipuzcoan squadron and the Paymaster-General-Juan de la Huerta, together with a sizeable part of the Armada treasure, 'divided up as a precautionary measure' . . . The explosion had blown away two decks and the stern castle . . . The whole powder magazine had blown up . . . It was almost certainly an accident, although subsequently at least half a dozen versions of the story grew up, all different and all highly coloured, putting the explosion down to sabotage or personal revenge on the part of a gunner, German, Dutch, English or French according to the version flogged by Captain Priego . . . A rescue operation was soon began. Two pinnaces hooked the prow of the ship to tug her into the wind so that the flames could not blow forward. Rescuers climbed aboard from the pataches, to help survivors fight the fire and to take off the wounded . . . The number of the dead and wounded came to two hundred. According to the Duke's reckoning another fifty were drowned jumping overboard to escape the furnace. Once the fire was under control the Duke gave two galleasses orders to tow the hull of the SAN SALVADOR over to the hulks . . . His final instructions were to 'transfer the coffers without delay onto a seaworthy ship' . . . ' ' . . . SAN SALVADOR, vice almiranta of the Guipuzcoans, captured in the Channel, said to have then contained a chest, but it disappeared.' '..that night, 31 July to 1 August . . . towards 11 o'clock the Duke received a message from the SAN SALVADOR that she was no longer seaworthy and was going down. Sidonia ordered the silver and the crew taken off, and the ship scuttled. He adds in his diario that this was done; but it was not. Her captain was badly wounded and the survivors more than anxious to get out of that hellhole. They took off the treasure . . . Luis de Miranda wrote: ' . . . orders were to take off the money . . . there were 50,000 or 60,000 ducats on board but only a small amount was removed'. 'There were many on board suffering from wounds and burns whom it was not possible to save,' reported the purser, Pedro Coco Calderon. (This may relate to the other SAN SALVADOR. See note below.) 'The ship was abandoned in full view of the English,' noted Don Jorge Manrique. 'She was taken by the enemy in full view of the Armada . . . ' is a comment in the diary of one of the ZUNIGA's crew . . . there was still some precious shot there and there were even a few barrels of powder left. Having been towed into an English harbour, the SAN SALVADOR, like the ROSARIO before her, was thoroughly looked over by fishermen and locals, long before any officials arrived on the scene . . . ' (6)
'A Spanish flagship was bought into Torbay on 26 July, and Carew Ralegh [sic], elder brother of Sir Walter, at once asked that six of her guns might be sent to Portland Castle. It was late in the day to think of coast defences, but the Weymouth people, taking advantage of the arrival of another captured Spanish flagship, the SAN SALVADOR, in Portland Roads, petitioned for some guns out of her for their platform which was built but not armed. The council acceded to this request and ordered eight brass and six iron guns to be given to them. The SAN SALVADOR remained at Portland for some months; she was lost in Studland Bay, on her way to Portsmouth, in November. Her crew stayed, as prisoners, in Weymouth, and in December were behaving in a very disorderly manner perhaps because, as in Devon, they were left to starve or to depend on the charity of the country-side; the Council ordered them to prison and a diet of bread and water.' (This source cites the following sources; The Calendar State Papers Domestic ccxiii, No. 43; Ibid. ccxiv, No.11; Idid. ccxiv, No. 55.; Ibid. ccxviii, No. 24.; Acts of the Privy Council, 31 Dec. 1588.') (Taken from the 'Dorset Maritime History' section of this web site.) (7)
' . . . Don Miguel Oquendo, commanded the Guipuzcoan Squadron, sailing himself in his flagship, the SANTA ANA (not the one that turned back) . . . ' (The SAN SALVADOR was part of this squadron.)
' . . . there was a tremendous explosion aboard the SAN SALVADOR, which tore out her stern castle, splintered her masts and killed two hundred of her crew. Many romantic stories have been told of the cause of this explosion, the most picturesque being Ubaldino's of a Flemish gunnery officer who took exception to an army captain making free with his wife, 'who was with him, as is the custom in this country'. The army captain ordered the Fleming to be beaten, whereupon, when he was released, the gunner plunged a lighted taper into a barrel of gunpowder and wrecked the ship. However, a more mundane explanation is far more likely, namely that the ship had been in action and a gunner's carelessness resulted in a spark reaching the gunpowder in the rear hold. Whatever the cause, the SAN SALVADOR, a vessel of nine hundred and fifty-eight tons with a crew of three hundred and ninety-six, belonging to Oquendo's squadron, became almost a total wreck . . . ' (This source gives an account by an eye-witness Calderon but this witness would have been on board the other SAN SALVADOR belonging to the armada of hulks.) (9)
Source (13) provides further stories regarding the explosion upon the SAN SALVADOR.
(p378 gives a list of the 12 vessels in the Armada of the Province of Guipuzcoa. It states that the SANTA ANA was the Capitana of the squadron and the N. S. DE LA ROSA was the Almiranta.) (11)
'The Almirante of the Guipuzcoan squadron would seem to have left the NUESTRA SENORA DE LA ROSA and gone on board the SAN SALVADOR, probably at the Groyne. Both Spanish and English accounts speak of the ship that was partially blown up on the evening of July 21 as the almiranta or vice-admiral of Oquendo, and it is perfectly certain that this ship was the SAN SALVADOR . . . ' (Appendix G p385) The inventory given p154-159 states 'Le SAN SALVADOR, Almirante de Oquendo'. (11)
' . . . she appears to have begun the voyage as a private ship, and only to have been raised to the staus of Squadron-Vice-Admiral at the last moment.' (14)
Source (2) provides further information regarding the status of the SAN SALVADOR p43-45.
The inventory estimates the burden of the vessel to be 600 tons. She appears in the Spanish lists as of 958 tons. (11)
A wine jug was supposedly taken from the SAN SALVADOR by a British sailor from Burton Bradstock, Dorset, named Symes when it was captured in July 1588. It was handed down from father to son from 1588 until the death of the last William Symes who died in 1920. The jug is presently in Dorchester Museum. (An image of the jug can be found on this website under the heading of 'Wrecks off Burton Bradstock' and then under the heading of 'Spanish Armada Wine Jug from 1588'.) (8)
To avoid confusion: There was another vessel called the SAN SALVADOR in the Armada of hulks which was under Juan Gomes de Medina. This vessel was the Almiranta of that squadron and was commanded by the Armada's chief stores officer, Pedro Coco Calderon. (p379) (11)
Source (7) seems to contradict source (5) in relation to the fate of the crew. Sources (1) and (4) state that the vessel left for Portsmouth some days after capture. Sources (7) and (11) state that the vessel remained at Portland for some months and was en route to Portsmouth in November.
Possible Archaeological Remains:
In the winter of 2000/2001, a substantial timber from an ancient ship was washed up on Studland beach. It is now in the care of the National Trust. At the beginning of 2002 three further timbers were washed up on Studland beach including a knee bracket. 'Mike Markey of the Poole Bay Archaeological Group and licensee of the designated Studland Bay Wreck was consulted regarding the possibility that the timber had eroded from the protected site. He felt that the timber was too large to have been from that particular wreck.' (Taken from the 'Coastal Information' section on this website.) (15)
' . . . whilst diving 250 metres from cliff face about 500 metres south from the present position of the above wreck, (Studland Bay designated wreck) my dive buddy had seen timber ribs of a ship protruding from the sand . . . could this be connected to the Studland Bay wreck? . . . ' (Found in the wreck database under the heading Studland Bay wreck.) (16)
Both the Studland Bay (1082101) and the Swash Channel (1408546) designated wreck sites have formerly been considered as candidates for this wreck but both appear to have other origins. (17)
Armament: 25 cannon (11)
Crew: 75 (11)
Soldiers: 321 (11)
Lives Lost in Explosion: 250 (6)
Crew Lost en route to Portsmouth: 23 (11)
Crew Saved en route to Portsmouth: 34 (11)
Squadron: Guipuzcoan (6)(9)(11)
Squadron Commander: Don Miguel Oquendo (9)(11)
Squadron Position: Vice Almiranta (6) Almiranta (11)
Paymaster General: Juan De La Huerta (6)
Master: Captain Priego (?) (6)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Approximate date of loss |