San Sebastián (EFE).- A mysterious seventeenth-century galleon shipwrecked in Pasaia has been discovered surrounded by numerous questions.
It crossed the oceans almost four hundred years ago and ended its last voyage in the waters of Pasaia, very close to the narrow mouth that gives access to this port, on the seabed of which a group of researchers led by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council have located the remains of a mysterious 17th century galleon about which little else is known.
How was it wrecked?
How was it wrecked? What was her origin? What was she carrying? Who were her crew members? An ocean of unanswered questions surrounds the wreck of this historic ship. For the moment, there is only one certainty about it: it was built after 1621.
We know the data thanks to the study of some of the frames of its decks. These were made from trees whose last growth ring goes back four centuries, as recently revealed by the meticulous dendrochronological analysis of the wood.
The boat is lying on its side and it is difficult for investigators to reach the hull. This piece constitutes the best element for a dating of this type. For this reason, it is not ruled out that in the future the ship’s construction date could become even more specific.
The hull, apparently armored with lead plates, is one of the greatest singularities of the enigmatic ship. This element, as sources from the Directorate of the Department of Culture of Gipuzkoa have explained to EFE, reveals that it is probably “a warship”.
twelve meters are visible
From there, any conjecture could be valid or, on the contrary, not at all because the investigation has only revealed the structure of the ship, of which only twelve meters are visible. The rest remain hidden under a breakwater, while a third segment was inadvertently destroyed some time ago by the port access drainage work.
The three underwater excavation campaigns, developed in the wreck since 2021 by archaeologists Ander Arrese, María Intxaustegi and José Manuel Matés under the direction of the Artistic Historical Heritage Service of the Diputación and with the collaboration of the Blas de Lezo Integrated Center for Professional Training of Pasaia, have also made it possible to recover some significant objects from the depths.
XVII century
Among them, various elements of “motonería” (pulleys for managing the sail ropes), footwear and some ceramic jug. All of them “place us in the 17th century” but without being “at all conclusive”, explain the aforementioned sources.
His hopes are now focused on the study of the stamp engraved on a metal spoon. An element that “is trying to identify” because it could shed a little more light on the origin of the ship, from which no cannons or ammunition have appeared so far.
A host of unknowns to which, far from finding answers, new questions are constantly being added, after researchers recently discovered that the remains that initially looked like a wreck are actually two.
“The second corresponds to a ship loaded with iron ore -probably destined for the Gipuzkoan forges- that seems to be located on top of the galleon, with what we estimate would be a more modern vessel”, clarify those responsible for the investigation, who do not hide that the archaeological work carried out in the area has been “very, very complicated”.
Not only because they are carried out underwater, but because they have taken place in a context in which “merchant merchants continued to pass” near the mouth of the bay, in addition to having had to be authorized by different agencies. with competences in the matter such as the Pasaia Port Authority and the Maritime Captaincy, among others.
investigation plan
Some circumstances in which the corresponding authorities have decided to postpone the performance of new underwater excavations without a date. All of this “until a serious investigation plan is drawn up” which will also require “extraordinary means”, since it will be necessary to carry out “a very weighty investigation that will mean changing the scale” and addressing “a project of months of I work with a great infrastructure.”
“Balloons would be needed to bring the remains to the surface – they clarified – and as they come out, take them to pools to preserve them” and it would also be necessary to have “infrastructure on land” because all the organic material that is recovered is saturated with water, so it must be kept in correct conditions “so that it does not degrade” and also afterward it must be “treated”.
protected site
For these reasons, for the moment the archaeologists have returned to cover both shipwrecks “in a very professional way”. They have thus left the site “protected” without revealing its exact location, and have issued the appropriate warnings to the corresponding authorities to avoid episodes of “poaching”.
Sources from the Directorate of the Foral Department of Culture have highlighted the importance of this finding for the underwater archeology of the territory, since it is an area in which “there is not only knowledge but also experience”.
“It is very important to have equipment” and we now have professionals who can carry out “any underwater operation” when the occasion arises, something that ultimately is “almost more relevant than the discovery itself”, they have concluded.
Written by Carlos López Izquierdo.