Current:Home > InvestResearchers unearth "buried secrets" of Spanish warship that sank in 1810, killing hundreds-LoTradeCoin
Researchers unearth "buried secrets" of Spanish warship that sank in 1810, killing hundreds
View Date:2024-12-25 01:05:43
An investigation into a Spanish warship that sank over 200 years ago has revealed "buried secrets" including well-preserved structural details, Spanish authorities announced Thursday.
The Santa María Magdalena, a Spanish Navy frigate that was sunk by a powerful storm in 1810, is currently the subject of an "exciting investigation" by the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities, according to a news release from the agency. The effort first aimed to preserve the ship, which remains underwater, but has "evolved into a saga of astonishing discoveries," the agency said. The ship is the only wreck of its time currently being excavated in Spain, and was featured in a 2020 documentary looking at its history.
The story of the ship's sinking began in October 1810, when the it set sail as part of a Spanish-British collaboration to take a city that was under French rule during Spain's War of Independence. The ship had 34 guns and a "rich history of service," the agency said, but after losing its anchors, it was caught in a "sudden and violent storm" that led to its sinking in November 1810. An estimated 500 sailors and soldiers were aboard at the time, making it "one of the greatest maritime tragedies" in the country's waters. According to wrecksite.eu, an online database that tracks shipwrecks, just eight men survived and swam to shore. Five of those men died from their injuries.
One major discovery, the agency said, was that as the ship was being excavated, it was found that around 86 square feet of the lining boards along the frigate's bilge are "free of structural or biological damage." The bilge is where a ship's bottom curves to meet its sides. The ship is "truly unique" because of this preservation, the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities said, and overall, the ship is in an "exceptional state of conservation."
According to local newspaper La Voz de Galicia, the purpose of the expedition is to map the structure of the ship and understand how it was built. This means that researchers have to work underwater to clear sand and sediment from the ship.
Underwater archaeologist and lead investigator Antón López told La Voz de Galicia that researchers had found "ballasts and ammunition" aboard the ship, calling it a "real underwater museum."
The Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities said that these discoveries allow Spain's naval history to emerge.
"Each find is a tribute to the brave sailors and soldiers who braved the treacherous waters more than two centuries ago, and a tribute to their legacy that endures through time," the agency said.
- In:
- Shipwreck
- Spain
Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.
veryGood! (9684)
Related
- Avril Lavigne’s Ex Mod Sun Is Dating Love Is Blind Star Brittany Wisniewski, Debuts Romance With a Kiss
- Elon Musk wants to turn tweets into ‘X’s’. But changing language is not quite so simple
- 5 injured, 2 critically, in shooting at community event: Police
- Niger’s presidential guard surrounds leader’s home in what African organizations call a coup attempt
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- Forensic scientist Henry Lee defends work after being found liable for falsifying evidence
- More than 110 million Americans across 29 states on alert for dangerous heat
- SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches massive EchoStar internet satellite
- World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
- Verdict reached in trial of cop who placed woman in patrol car hit by train
Ranking
- Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney dies in car accident
- Sinéad O’Connor, gifted and provocative Irish singer-songwriter, dies at 56
- Accused of bomb threats they say they didn’t make, family of Chinese dissident detained in Thailand
- New Golden Bachelor Teaser Proves Gerry Turner Is “Aged to Perfection”
- 2024 'virtually certain' to be warmest year on record, scientists say
- Records shed light on why K-9 cop was fired after siccing dog on trucker: Report
- Filmmaker chronicles Lakota fight to regain Black Hills
- Prosecutors want disgraced crypto mogul Bankman-Fried in jail ahead of trial
Recommendation
-
High-scoring night in NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo explodes for 59, Victor Wembanyama for 50
-
Toll cheats cost New Jersey $117M last year and experts say the bill keeps growing
-
US economy likely slowed in April-June quarter but still showed its resilience
-
Man fatally shot by western Indiana police officers after standoff identified by coroner
-
Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
-
Tom Brady, Irina Shayk break the internet with dating rumors. Why do we care so much?
-
School safety essentials to give college students—and parents—peace of mind
-
How Travis Kelce's Attempt to Give Taylor Swift His Number Was Intercepted