Archaeo-historical and dendrochronological study of the wrecks of the fleet of Apodaca. ForSEAdiscovery project

Abstract

At a critical moment in the history of Trinidad, Britain took control of the island from Spain in 1797. This historic moment is iconically represented by the loss of most of the Spanish fleet, set on fire by its admiral, Sebastián Ruiz de Apodaca, to prevent its capture by the British. A shipwreck , located just off Gaspar Grande Island which has been the subject of intermittent salvage over more than a century, is believed to be one of the four ships sunk in 1797, possibly the flagship San Vicente. The site was recently visited by the Prof. Nigel Nayling, Scientific in charge in Nautical Archaeology in the ForSEAdiscovery project (PITN2013-GA607545), to assess its potential as a site for the collection of wood samples as part of a scientific research project, ForSEAdiscovery (funded by the European Commission) and with the assistance of His Excellency, the Ambassador of Spain.