Santo António (1589)
Chase Oswald, Zachary Mead, Filipe Castro
Country: Seychelles
Place: Boudeuse Cay, Almirante Islands
Coordinates: Lat. ; Long. W
Type: Nau
Identified: Yes
Dated: 1589 (Historical accounts)
Introduction
This site was found by local fishermen in the 1970s at Boudeuse Cay, Almirante Isles, Seychelles.
A group of 30 bronze guns was retrieved from the shipwreck site by the fishermen, and a the artifacts associated suggested a Portuguese vessel, which was later tentatively identified by Patrick Lizé as D. João da Cunha’s Santo António, lost in 1589 at that island.
The site was surveyed in 1976 by Warren Blake and Jeremy Green, who found a small portion of the ship’s bottom planking preserved, together with a part of the framing. The site extended over an area of about 10 x 50 m.
The majority of the artifacts went into private collections, with a small part going to the Carnegie Museum in Victoria, Seychelles
Team
T
Ballast
I
Anchors
N
Guns
N
Iron Concretions
N
Hull remains
The hull planking was 9 cm thick, and the frames were 17 cm sided and 18 cm molded.
Keel
N.
Stern heel (couce)
A .
Stern knee (coral)
A.
Frames
T.
Planking
T.
Table 1. Scantling of the timber remains of the Corpo Santo Shipwreck
| Timber | Sided
[cm] |
Molded
[cm] |
| Keel | ||
| Sternpost | ||
| Floor timbers | ||
| Room-and-space | ||
| Planking |
Caulking
The caulking method was similar to that found on Mártires (1606), with lead straps 2.5-3 cm wide and lead strings 5-6 mm in diameter.
Fasteners
The planking was nailed to the frames with square iron nails.
Size and scantlings
T
Wood
No timbers were reported
Reconstruction
Beam: Estimated m
Keel Length: Estimated m
Length Overall: Estimated m
Number of Masts: Unknown
References