Wreck of legendary Spanish galleon discovered on Oregon’s coast

CAIRO – 21 June 2022: Archaeologists found part of the wreck of the Spanish galleon, which sank in 1693, off the coast of the United States.

 

Marine archaeologists recovered the timber from the hull of the 17th century Spanish galleon, Santo Cristo de Burgos, in sea caves in Oregon, USA.

That came after a local fisherman reported discovering some ancient wood in a sea cave. Following a year of delays, and with the help of local law enforcement and search and rescue specialists, the ship's timber was finally mined this week.

Bits of Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (1661-1722) that washes ashore near Manzanita are likely remnants of the galleon’s cargo - National Geographic

The timber will be kept in the US Naval Museum's Columbia River and it is hoped that more information will be revealed about how the ship was built. The location of the rest of the wreck remains a mystery as archaeologists believe the timber may have washed away from the wreck site.

"These woods are physical evidence of stories that have been known and passed down the generations," Jim Delgado, archaeological investigator and senior vice president of cultural resource management firm SEARCH, told National Geographic.

The ship is said to have been the inspiration for the 1985 Steve Spielberg adventure film "The Goonies", in which a group of children follow a treasure map that leads to a pirate's fortune. The 105-foot-tall Inferno, built for the movie "The Goonies," was destroyed after production.

Also, a written story from 1813 tells the tale of the Spanish ship Manila Galleon, which wrecked in the late 17th century near Mount Neahkahnie.

The Native American tribes also conveyed the legend of the ship that disappeared off the coast of the American state of Oregon around 1693, carrying porcelain, beeswax and Chinese silk.