St Anthony (ship) facts for kids
| History | |
|---|---|
| Fate | Foundered 1527 |
| General characteristics | |
| Sail plan | carrack |
The St Anthony (also known as Santo António) was a large Portuguese sailing ship called a carrack. In 1527, while sailing from Lisbon, Portugal, to Antwerp, Belgium, it sank in Gunwalloe Bay, Cornwall, England. The ship was carrying a valuable mix of goods, including copper and silver ingots (metal blocks).
People knew about the shipwreck because saving the cargo caused a big argument between countries. This argument even went to a special court called the Court of Star Chamber. For a long time, no one knew exactly where the ship sank. Then, in 1981, its location was finally discovered. Today, the St Anthony wreck is a Protected Wreck, meaning it's protected by law and managed by Historic England.
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About the St Anthony Ship
The St Anthony was a very important ship. It belonged to King John III of Portugal himself and was the main ship in his fleet. Carracks were the biggest ships of their time. They were also the first ships truly built to sail across oceans.
The cargo on board was extremely valuable. Experts believe it was worth about £18,800 back then. To give you an idea, that was like 4,000 times what a person earned in a whole year! It's thought that some of the cargo was part of the dowry for Princess Catherine. She was marrying King John III and was also the sister of Charles V, the powerful Holy Roman Emperor. We even have a list of everything that was on the ship.
What Happened to the Ship?
The St Anthony sank on January 15, 1527. It was caught in a terrible storm. People at the time described it as a "great and urgent tempest of winds and weather and by the great outrages of the sea."
The Shipwreck and Saving the Cargo
Out of 86 crew members, 45 survived the shipwreck. The morning after the storm, the winds calmed down. At low tide, the ship was in only six feet of water, making it easier to reach. Both the survivors and local people tried to save items from the ship.
King John III of Portugal demanded that his cargo be returned. This led King Henry VIII of England to set up a special court called the Court of Star Chamber. Some of the information shared in this court still exists today, but we don't know the final decision.
At that time, local landowners often had rights to anything found from shipwrecks on their land. Three important landowners in Cornwall became richer and more powerful after the St Anthony sank. William Godolphin became a knight, and his home, Godolphin House, was greatly improved. St Aubyn of St Michael's Mount became a Justice of the Peace. John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became the High Sheriff of Cornwall, and Pengersick Castle was also made better around this time. There is some information that King Henry VIII ordered the cargo to be returned to Portugal, but much of it was already missing.
Finding and Protecting the Wreck
Even with all the old records, no one knew the exact spot of the St Anthony wreck for centuries. In the 1970s, a diver looking for shellfish found a copper ingot. But people didn't realize how important this find was until 1981. That year, another copper ingot was found on the beach.
A team was sent to investigate. They discovered that the location matched the old stories about the shipwreck.
Challenges at the Wreck Site
The seabed where the St Anthony sank is very rocky. It's also fully exposed to the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean. There isn't much sand or mud to cover and protect old items. There are also many flint pebbles that can smash and grind artifacts. Because of these harsh conditions, the ship's wooden parts have not survived. Also, any iron items have rusted away.
Protecting the Site
The site was officially protected on February 15, 1982, under the Protection of Wrecks Act. A local diver named Tony Randall was given a license to look after it. Since it was impossible to leave the artifacts safely on the seabed, a special license was given to recover any remaining items. Examples of copper and silver ingots were saved and studied by the British Museum. You can see some of the recovered items on display at the Charlestown Heritage and Shipwreck Centre and at Pengersick Castle.
In May 2005, a report from English Heritage found that parts of the St Anthony wreck were outside the protected area. These items were at risk of being disturbed. So, on September 21, 2006, the site was given an emergency protection order. The center of the protected area was moved, and its size was increased from 75 meters to 150 meters.
After five years of searching, more material from the wreck was found in 2006 by Jason Roseveare. This showed that the original protected area from 1983 didn't cover all of the St Anthony wreck. Because of this, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport issued the new protection order. This prevents anyone from studying the wreck without a special license.
