In the waters of the Galician estuary of Ribadeo, half buried in the sand almost in its original position, lies a 16th century Spanish galleon of about 34 meters in length and 1,200 tons in weight, larger than a merchant ship of the time or those usually They carried out the Race of the Indies. Found during dredging in 2011, it was identified as the ‘ San Giacomo de Galizia ‘ (James of Galicia, in reference to the Apostle), one of the participants in the so-called Relief Army of Ireland, sunk in 1597. « It is a little broken by the keel, but almost whole,” says Ana Crespo Solana, researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and honorary professor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, who has been participating in the Ribadeo excavations for a decade. In recent years, archaeologists have discovered many details, such as that its structure was almost entirely made of oak, that wood from Italy was used and that its hull, which was about 12 centimeters thick, thickness made it a powerful war machine. Their investigations have also disproved the idea that the Spanish crown sent confiscated merchant ships armed for battle into combat. The Ribadeo galleon was built in Naples “expressly for war by order of Philip II,” highlights Crespo Solana. It is the first case of a 16th century ship of this type found in Spanish territorial waters. Although it is a “flagship” wreck, researchers need more financial resources to open a wide trench around it that will allow them to discover better its interesting naval architecture. «We have only excavated to the waterline and we do not know what may be below. With about 50,000 euros we could make a lot of progress in a campaign,” estimates this prestigious archaeologist in conversation with ABC. Related News report Yes Autopsy of a 17th century shipwreck in Cádiz Mónica Arrizabalaga Archaeologists and conservators disassemble wood by wood the wreck of about 40 meters in length extracted from the port in an unprecedented operation in Spain with a ship of this era and sizeIn waters of the Galician estuary of Ribadeo, half buried in the sand almost in its original position, lies a Spanish galleon from the 16th century of about 34 meters in length and 1,200 tons in weight, larger than a merchant ship of the time or those that usually carried out the Race of the Indies. Found during dredging in 2011, it was identified as the ‘San Giacomo de Galizia’ (James of Galicia, in reference to the Apostle), one of the participants in the so-called Relief Army of Ireland, sunk in 1597. “It is a little broken by the keel, but almost whole,” says Ana Crespo Solana, researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and honorary professor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, who has been participating for a decade in the Ribadeo excavations led by Miguel San Claudio. Archaeologists have discovered many details in recent years, such as that its structure was almost entirely made of oak, that wood from Italy was used and that its helmet About 12 centimeters thick made it a powerful war machine. Their investigations have also disproved the idea that the Spanish crown sent confiscated merchant ships armed for battle into battle. The Ribadeo galleon was built in Naples “expressly for war by order of Philip II,” highlights Crespo Solana. It is the first case of a 16th century ship of this type found in Spanish territorial waters. Although it is a “flagship” wreck, researchers need more financial resources to open a wide trench around it that will allow them to discover better its interesting naval architecture. «We have only excavated to the waterline and we do not know what may be below. With about 50,000 euros we could make a lot of progress in a campaign,” estimates this prestigious archaeologist in conversation with ABC. Ana Crespo has recently published the book ‘What do we know about? Underwater archeology and maritime heritage ‘(CSIC, Catarata)’ a unique work in the publishing panorama, where he collects his knowledge and reflections from a long and recognized career. Although it follows the popularizing spirit of the CSIC collection, making known the history of this still little-known discipline, its techniques and its protagonists, the book also includes critical ideas and underlying demands. Like “there are important deposits of Spanish warships, authentic ships of state, that have barely received attention”; that underwater archeology studies “should transcend national plans”; or that “unfortunately, the wrecks of ships from the Modern Age have received less scientific attention, in addition to being the object of desire by private companies and treasure seekers.” “There are important sites of Spanish warships, authentic ships of State, which have barely received attention” Ana Crespo Solana WriterThe list of fleets and ships that sank in the Carrera de Indias “stands out more for the plundering it has suffered by treasure hunters and private companies, “that they only sought to profit from the heritage, that because it was the object of a systematic study in the appropriate scientific historical-archaeological framework within the law,” laments the researcher. “A cruelty to our past” In the busy café in Madrid where the conversation takes place, the bustle of the waiters and the noise of the door do not deafen Crespo Solana’s passionate vehemence. Especially when the “happy” treasures of the galleons come up. «The treasure is the ship», he defends forcefully. In his opinion, this emphasis on the gold and silver of the shipwrecks of the Carrera de Indias or the Manila Galleon “invites plunder and gives a completely erroneous idea of historical reality.” These stories lead to the identification of the wrecks with valuable merchandise that was only part of their cargo and that, in some cases, were already recovered at the time. “It is cruelty to our past,” he remarks. What do we know about? Underwater archeology and maritime heritage Ana Crespo Solana Writer More interest arouses, for the CSIC scientific researcher, the wooden boats of the first global era that are “one of the most important machines in the history of humanity”, although not sufficiently known . “There are many enigmas about the naval construction of the large ships of that time and the little that we have been able to study with archaeological data often contradicts the historical documentation,” he maintains. In his book he states that the evolution of modern ships from the 16th to the 18th centuries is still a mystery, especially because in his time “it became a military secret, a target of competition between maritime nations and of industrial espionage.” Today, however, these ships are haunted by the “curse of the treasures”, which puts them in the sights of those who seek to profit from their pieces. Letters and shared data “What we scientists have to do is not be faint-hearted and appropriate our science, publish and share data », considers the historian and archaeologist, who calls for greater collaboration between countries and between autonomous communities. In his opinion, in Spain, for example, there is a lack of a unified criterion in its archaeological letters. He also believes that we must move forward to share data in Open Data, as urged by the European Union, overcoming misgivings. As this ForSeadiscovery researcher explains, in the GIS (Geographic Information System) of this project, which seeks to integrate the documentation of shipwrecks and their archaeological study, “the location of wrecks is pixelated for security, coordinates are not included, but Yes, information and knowledge. Another obstacle that researchers sometimes encounter is the “not always justified nationalism” associated with shipwrecks, which makes international cooperation difficult. “It is very nice to identify archaeological heritage with identity,” he says, “but not with national identity from the point of view of being proud of that past, but rather because of our contribution to the history of Humanity.” Other lootingIn this sense, remember that the UNESCO convention defends a universal heritage “and each State must be the guarantor of preserving it in accordance with the laws.” Also to investigate it properly because “another type of looting is the arbitrary extraction of pieces without requirements and without having applied an archaeological technique from professional and adequate science,” adds Crespo Solana. Hence the importance of research projects, a basic requirement for any intervention on a wreck. In the case of the San José galleon shipwrecked in Colombian waters, for example, he believes that a serious scientific project must seek answers to relevant questions about its naval architecture. «It is a construction from the first period of Antonio Gaztañeta, one of the most important shipbuilders in the history of Spain and could give clues about how it evolved until he wrote those ordinances of 1720 that became a reference for the naval construction of the Spanish crown,” he highlights. Measurement of the structure of the beams of the Rocciu I wreck Brandon Manson (Matltd), CEAN, CSIC Like the San José or the Santiago de Galicia mentioned above, there are other wrecks in the sights of the veteran historian and underwater archaeologist due to their interest. He cites the Yarmouth Road, an Iberian ship wrecked in 1567 on the Isle of Wight (United Kingdom), the Belinho 1, from the 17th century, sunk in Portuguese waters, in collaboration with prominent colleagues from the neighboring country, or the Rocciu 1 (s. XVI, France), who investigates together with his colleague Arnaud Cazenave. Its list is long and includes ships from later periods. «The Santísima Trinidad, wherever it is located, will be in very good condition because it was made of mahogany and other precious American woods. They called it the Escorial of the Seas and it was lost on the way to Gibraltar,” he highlights, recalling that ships from the Battle of Trafalgar still need to be investigated. Crespo Solana sees it as imperative that all the rich heritage that lies submerged be made visible to the citizens, so that they fight for their protection. In some countries, he says, the presence of archaeological sites is indicated with buoys. Perhaps in the Bay of Cádiz, with so many wrecks, such an initiative would be unthinkable, but “there are still specific places where it would be good.” And in any case, he believes that it would be useful to remember the past that lies under the waters with monuments or indicative panels on the coasts. In Spain, in terms of underwater archaeology, he considers that “there is still a lot to do.” “We need more manpower in water and in documentation and more resources,” he claims.
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