El Gran Grifón facts for kids

El Gran Grifón was a large ship from the Spanish Armada. It was a supply ship, meaning it carried important goods. This ship was built in Rostock, a city in modern-day Germany. El Gran Grifón was shipwrecked on Fair Isle, a small island in Shetland, Scotland. This happened on September 27, 1588.

El Gran Grifón was a big ship, weighing 650 tons. It had 38 guns for defense. The ship was led by Juan Gómez de Medina. Some people mistakenly thought it was led by Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno. He was the main leader of the entire Spanish Armada.

The Journey of El Gran Grifón

The Spanish Armada was a huge fleet of ships. They sailed from Spain to attack England. El Gran Grifón was part of this fleet.

Battle in the English Channel

Right at the start, El Gran Grifón was attacked. It faced the English ship Revenge. El Gran Grifón was badly damaged in this fight. But it managed to escape into the North Sea.

Storms and Separation

After the battle, the Spanish Armada was beaten. El Gran Grifón met up with the rest of the damaged fleet. The ship had leaks and had to sail quickly up the east coast of Britain. A very strong storm hit the ships. The tides also pushed them. For about a week, the ships were forced between Norway and the Northern Isles. Finally, they reached the Atlantic Ocean.

Many ships were almost in sight of Ireland. But another storm pushed them back north. El Gran Grifón got separated from the main fleet. Two other ships, the Barca de Amburgo and the Trinidad Valencera, also got separated.

Sharing the Crew

The Barca de Amburgo sank near Fair Isle. But its crew was saved. They split up and went onto El Gran Grifón and the Trinidad Valencera. The Trinidad Valencera later sank near Ireland. Because of this, El Gran Grifón carried many more people than usual. It had 43 crew members and 234 soldiers on board.

The Shipwreck at Fair Isle

On September 27, 1588, El Gran Grifón reached Fair Isle. The crew hoped to find a safe place to fix the ship. They dropped anchor in a spot called Swartz Geo. But the strong tide pushed the ship. It hit the rocks of Stroms Hellier and was wrecked.

Stranded on the Island

All the crew and soldiers managed to get ashore. But they were stuck on Fair Isle for about two months. Andrew Umphray, who owned Fair Isle, eventually heard about them. He helped Juan Gómez de Medina. Gómez de Medina stayed with Malcolm Sinclair in Quendale on the Shetland mainland.

Most of the Spanish sailors left Fair Isle. They first went to Orkney. People there still remember them as the "Westray Dons." Then they traveled to St Andrews and Edinburgh.

Sad Losses

Sadly, 50 of the men died on Fair Isle. Some died from their wounds. Others died from starvation or the cold weather. They were buried in a place called the "Spaniards' Grave."

Even after leaving Fair Isle, the troubles continued. Half of the survivors were killed later. Their ship was on its way to Spain. But Dutch gunboats attacked it. The English Navy had told the Dutch about the Spanish ships.

Discovering the Wreck

The wreck of El Gran Grifón was found and explored. Colin Martin and Sydney Wignall led the excavation in 1970. In 1984, a group from Spain visited the island. They placed an iron cross in the island's cemetery. This was to remember the brave sailors who had died there.