Santo António, 1589

Country: Seychelles

Place: Boudeuse Cay, Almirante Islands

Type: Nau

Identified: Yes

Dated: 1589

History of the shipwreck

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 the associated artifacts 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.

Description of the site

The site is located at Boudeuse Cay, Almirante Isles, Seychelles, and extended over an area of about 10 x 50 m.

Cargo

Not described.

Hull Remains

A small portion of the ship's bottom planking was found preserved, together with a part of the framing, during the 1976 survey by Warren Blake and Jeremy Green. No further description is available in the source text.

Guns

A group of 30 bronze guns was retrieved from the shipwreck site by local fishermen in the 1970s. The majority of the recovered artifacts, including the guns, went into private collections, with a small part going to the Carnegie Museum in Victoria, Seychelles.

References

Blake, Warren, Green, Jeremy (1986) "A mid-XVI century Portuguese wreck found in the Seychelles." IJNA 15.1: 1-23.