The wrecks are the indisputable witnesses to the passage of history. Many have been destroyed because they were in shallow waters, because of the riches they could hide and, above all, because of the lack of adequate legislation.

In Spain, the main promoter of the Euro-Mediterranean Maritime Archeology Forum, we have Law 16/1985 on Spanish Historical Heritage. At the international level, a draft has been drawn up that will be debated in Paris from March 26 to April 5 by representatives of more than 100 countries and which aims to put an end to the so-called "treasure hunters".

Sunken remains


For many years, treasure seekers driven by lucrative, adventurous or scientific goals have been sailing the seas diving:
  • Robert Stenuit has a private museum. He is the discoverer of several of the wrecks of the Invincible Armada and the Rande Galleons.
  • Bob Marx found the city of Port Royal in Jamaica and the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas in the Bahamas. Like ancient pirates and privateers, the crew of their expeditions is armed to defend the loot.
  • Rubén Collado rescued a treasure valued at more than one billion pesetas from El Preciado, which was sunk by English pirates in 1792 off Montevideo.
  • An American company, called Seahawk, investigates wrecks at great depths using advanced underwater robotics. To date, there is no law that regulates heritage submerged in free waters (more than 200 miles), so the first to reach the wreck is its legitimate owner. Hence UNESCO's interest in solving this legal gap as soon as possible.
There are documents about the shipwreck of ships loaded with great wealth and their location, many have not been looted due to their inaccessibility, but they are in the sights of more than one treasure hunter and evoke fabulous legends. For example, in 1702 about 40 ships from the Indies fleet were shipwrecked in the Strait of Rande (Redondela – Vigo) and the myth about the numerous treasures buried there was the inspiration of Jules Verne in his work "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" .

Underwater fauna next to the wrecks


Great archaeological discoveries

But the value of shipwrecks does not lie only in the treasures they may hide. They are an important testimony when reconstructing history. Technological advances, from autonomous diving equipment to differential magnometry, facilitate submerged archaeological excavations:
  • The German archaeologist H. Schliemann, in the s. XIX, discovered ancient Troy on the coast of Türkiye.
  • Thanks to the invention of autonomous diving equipment powered from the surface, they were found in the 19th century. XIX remains of Roman and Greek ships, from which pieces of incalculable historical-artistic value have been recovered, the most notable discovery being the Greek wreck of Antikthera.
  • The American George Bass, considered the father of underwater archaeology, is the recent discoverer of the prehistoric wreck of Ulu-Burum, located on the coast of Turkey.


They are all over the world

The popular wreck of the Spanish galleon San Diego, sunk on December 14, 1600 in a battle with Holland provoked by commercial reasons, was located in 1991. The investigation, directed by Franck Goddiod, used the testimony of the shipwrecked ( collected in the Archive of the Indies) and a subsequent geophysical survey.

The excavations were carried out in 2 campaigns in which more than 5,000 objects have been recovered: in the first of them 14 bronze cannons, jars, anchors and the highly prized astrolabe were extracted from the wreck; In the second, 1,800 pieces of fine porcelain, Chinese ceramics from the Ming Empire, gold objects, silver royals and many other utensils were recovered that testify to the cultural and racial diversity aboard the mythical Manila galleons. More than 1,700 hours of immersion at depths of between 50 and 60 m were necessary for its recovery. with compressed air bottles and a budget of 16 million francs.

Thanks to underwater robots and GPS, images of a Spanish galleon from the 16th century have been obtained. XVII and the three-dimensional location of the objects it contains, which helps historians recreate the living conditions on board.

Off our coasts

Much closer to us and much shallower is the Laredo Site. On the Cantabrian coasts, less than 10m. Under the waters, although with a significant layer of sand on it, the Dutch ship Snelhyd was discovered, sunk in 1719. The remains found will be part of the future Maritime Museum of Laredo.

Wreck diving


Our shores have seen many other shipwrecks. Dozens of vessels lie in front of Finisterre: ships of the Spanish Navy, English battleships and cargo ships, submarines from the Second World War... 20 ships of the Spanish Navy Sunk in 1596, they were located 400 years later.

At the mouth of the port of Cartagena, the transport Castillo de Olite sank in 1939. The Civil War caused other sinkings such as those of the submarine B-6, the battleship España, the cod ship Vendaval or the cruise ship Baleares. .

Hundreds of Spanish ships are submerged throughout the entire maritime geography, even reaching Antarctica, where the remains of the ship San Telmo are being sought, last seen in 1819. The wreck is still It has not been found, but remains of the crew's footwear have been found.


Discover incredible things

This is not the first time that our country is interested in recovering the remains of a shipwreck. More than 200 years ago, Charles III hired 40 European divers to recover the treasures of the ship San Pedro de Alcántara, with the authorization of the King of Portugal, since the shipwreck occurred on the Papoa Peninsula. This archaeological research continues today and coins minted in Lima with the image of Carlos III continue to appear.