Santiago (caravel)

History

Of the five ships under Ferdinand Magellan's command on his quest to find the Spice Islands, the Santiago was the smallest, measuring 75 toneles (90 toneladas). It was also the only caravel in the fleet and cost 187,500 maravedíes. When the expedition departed Seville on August 10, 1519, the Santiago had a crew of 31 men. Its captain and navigator was Juan Serrano, a Portuguese-born sailor living in Seville.

After sailing down the American coast south of Brazil without finding a passage to the South Seas, the fleet reached a Patagonian bay on March 31, 1520. This bay, located in what is now Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, was called the harbor of San Julián, and the expedition prepared to winter there. During their stay, several captains grew unhappy with Magellan's leadership and doubted a passage existed in that region. They mutinied and seized control of some ships. Magellan struck back, retaking the Victoria and killing her captain in a surprise attack. He then positioned the Victoria alongside the Santiago and another ship at the bay's entrance, trapping the two rebel vessels and forcing them to surrender.

While the remaining ships underwent repairs at San Julián, Magellan ordered the Santiago to scout the southern coastline. On May 13, the ship reached the bay at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, where the crew spent six days fishing and gathering water and firewood. The Santiago departed Santa Cruz on May 20. The next day, a storm struck, growing worse through the night. By May 22, the storm had driven the ship onto the coast, leaving it beached and battered. All but one of Serrano's slaves—who drowned—made it safely to shore. Serrano then sent two sailors overland back to San Julián to report the wreck while he salvaged what he could from the ship.

Magellan divided the survivors among the other vessels and appointed Juan Serrano as captain of the Concepción. That ship had previously been commanded by Gaspar de Quesada, who was executed for treason on April 7 for his role in the mutiny at San Julián. In 1982, Argentine diver Daniel E. Guillén reportedly discovered the Santiago at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. He spotted wooden fragments from the ship and brought samples to the surface. Researchers at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores are said to have performed Carbon 14 dating tests to confirm the wreck's age.