THE SPANISH CANNONS OFF IRELAND

BY SHAZAN QURESHI

BRITISH ISLES, 1588• THE SPANISH ARMADA WAS

PLANNING A MASSIVE AMPHIBIOUS INVASION.

• DUE TO POOR PLANNING AND WORSE WEATHER, THE INVASION TURNED INTO A CRUSHING DEFEAT FOR SPAIN.

• THE SPANISH ARMADA WAS FORCED TO FLEE FOR SURVIVAL.

• SAILING OFF THE COAST OF IRELAND, THE SHIPS WERE BATTERED BY STORMS AND MORE THAN TWO DOZEN SHIPS WERE WASHED UP.

• MORE THAN 5,000 SPANIARDS WERE KILLED, EITHER DROWNED IN THE OCEAN OR EXECUTED BY THE IRISH UNDER THE ORDERS OF THE ENGLISH AUTHORITIES.

LA JULIANA

• A MERCHANT VESSEL BUILT IN 1570, IT TRADED BETWEEN SPAIN AND ITALY BEFORE PHILIP II COMMANDEERED IT TO BE OUTFITTED AS A WARSHIP FOR THE 1588 INVASION.

• IT SUNK OFF THE COAST OF IRELAND IN 1588.

• IT REMAINED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN UNTIL IT WAS DISCOVERED IN 1585, ONLY TO DISAPPEAR SHORTLY AFTERWARDS DUE TO SEVERE STORMS THAT SHIFTED THE SANDS AROUND THE WRECK.

BUT JUST LAST WEEK…

• DIVERS FROM IRELAND’S UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY UNIT COMPLETED THEIR RECOVERY OPERATION.

• BROUGHT RELICS TO SHORE THAT REMAINED UNDISTURBED FOR OVER 400 YEARS.

• THEY FOUND: • 9 BRONZE CANNONS • A SHIP’S CAULDRON • CANNONBALLS • A GUN CARRIAGE WHEEL

ELSEWHERE IN IRELAND…• NEAR THE CLIFFS OF MOHER,

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK HAS CONTINUED TO LOCATE TWO OTHER SPANISH SHIPS - THE SAN MARCOS AND SAN ESTEBAN, WHICH ALSO SUNK OFF THE COAST OF IRELAND.

• THEIR FINAL RESTING PLACE HASN’T BEEN FOUND YET, NEITHER HAS THE MASS GRAVE OF 700+ MEN WHO WERE KILLED DURING THE WRECK.

• UNDERWATER SURVEYING WORK HAS STARTED TO FIND SAN MARCOS, AND LAST WEEK AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM BEGAN A COMPREHENSIVE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY OF A SITE ALONG THE SHORE OF “SPANISH POINT”.