Sir Francis Drake was a pirate — according to the Spanish — an honorable mariner — according to the English — commanded by Elizabeth I of England to destroy the cities, fortresses, fields, farms, or subjects of Philip II wherever they might be. Drake launched his attacks across both hemispheres without warning. He could strike against Santo Domingo, the Canary Islands, or Patagonia. There were no limits. One of the ports he successfully attacked was Cádiz in 1587.
In the Bay of Cádiz, Philip II was building part of the armada with which he planned to attack England. Therefore, Elizabeth I ordered Drake to destroy those threatening armed galleons endangering her kingdom. Thus, the English mariner, in a daring maneuver, entered the Andalusian port and sank between 30 and 35 Spanish, Portuguese, or allied ships.
Among them was the Italian vessel San Giorgio e Sant’Elmo Buonaventura, whose holds were filled with a wide variety of goods. Dredging in the Bay of Cádiz has now allowed for the recovery of the ship’s wreck. This is detailed in the multidisciplinary study “Experimental Sciences in Underwater Archaeology: Delta II Wreck (San Giorgio and Sant’Elmo Buonaventura).” Using techniques from genomics, dendroarchaeology, paleobiology, physicochemistry, archaeology, and archival science, the experts have reconstructed the ship’s sinking. And much more.
Just eight meters below the sediment lay the almost intact ship. It was sunk on April 29, 1587. “The organic remains found were in an excellent state of preservation due to the great thickness of the mud layer that the buried wreck had retained, providing an anaerobic environment that prevented the deterioration of a fragile and therefore easily decomposable material; which, moreover, has great heritage and scientific value.”
In addition to animal remains, the skull of a woman aged between 25 and 35 was found at the site, bearing a head injury. The bones belonged to cows, pigs, goats, and chickens. Small earthenware jars, both intact and sealed, were also located. Inside, they contained Gordal olives in brine with capers, bay leaves, rosemary, and oregano.
The diseases suffered by the crew have also been determined by the discovery of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) inside the vessels: a pathogen that causes pneumonia and Staphylococcus infections of the skin and respiratory system. The study is remarkable and was authored by 11 leading experts from the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage, the consultancy Tanit Archaeological Management, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), DendroResearch Wageningen (Netherlands), the Aranzadi Society of Sciences, the University of La Laguna, and the Doñana Biological Station.
Likewise, during the excavation of the shipwreck, a series of wooden barrels were found containing a dense, red substance which, after analysis at the University of La Laguna, has been identified as Dactylopius coccus costa. This is a dye derived from the cochineal insect. In the 16th century, this dye arrived from New Spain (Mexico), specifically from the Oaxaca region, and became the third most-valuable commodity in the Americas during the Early Modern period. The barrels found — made from Baltic wood — were cut between 1586 and 1601, according to the analysis. This proved accurate, as the ship sank in 1587.
“In short, the San Giorgio e Sant’Elmo Buonaventura, while anchored off the city of Cádiz, was sunk (between five and six in the afternoon on April 29, 1587) by the fleet commanded by the privateer Francis Drake, following express orders from the English queen Elizabeth I,” the study concludes.
Finally, the Spanish admiral Álvaro de Bazán set out after Drake’s fleet, but he did not arrive in time and the privateer managed to reach England, where he unloaded a huge fortune.
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