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Carrapateira (Photo CNANS)

Carrapateira (Photo CNANS)

La Condesa, 1555

Filipe Castro

Country: Portugal

Place: Carrapateira.

Coordinates: Lat. 37°11'8.82"N; Long. 8°54'58.96"W

Type: Nao

Identified: Tentatively

Dated: 1555 (archival research)

 

Beam: Unknown.

Keel Length: Unknown

Length Overall: Unknown

Number of Masts: Probably three

 

History of the shipwreck

This shipwreck is believed to be that of the Spanish nao La Condesa, part of D. Gonzalo de Carvajal 1555 small fleet, which was entirely lost, one ship in the Atlantic, and three along the Portuguese coast. It was found in the 1980s by sport divers and continuously looted since, every time the sea conditions expose the tumulus.

 

Description of the site

The site has been described as a pile of bronze guns that are covered most of the time. A second site, with a cache of iron swivel guns, has been indicated to the authorities in 1998 by an Italian looter, familiar with the site. Two bronze guns are said to have been salvaged from this site by the looters.

0033.02 Iron Guns

Figure 01. Iron guns of the second area, possibly corresponding to the same shipwreck (Photo: CNANS).

0033.01 Gun

Figure 02. Bronze gun salvaged by a sport diver and sold to a local resident at Bordeira in the 1990s (Photo: J. P. Cardoso).

Cargo

Stories of artifacts looted from this site and sold to the UK have circulated for years.

 

References

There are no publications about this site, other than inaccurate newspaper and magazine articles.

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