The San Pedro de Alcantara Shipwreck

After a complicated journey that started in the port of Callao near Lima, Peru involving an extended four-month stay, for repairs, in Rio de Janeiro. The San Pedro da Alcantara whilst sailing off the coast of Portugal destined for Cádis was shipwrecked on a cold winter’s night in 1786. Navigational error was found to be the cause.

Divers came from all-over Europe to work on the salvage of the ship's goods and equipments.

The impact of this mission which took several years to complete left a profound impact on the local population.

“Many met their death in the shipwreck, others prosperity. The end result of the salvage operation was a technical success; it went from what was initially a catastrophe to what was to become an exercise of economic exorcism. There were lots of findings, including onboard contraband as shown by the work of the buzos”

Jean-Yves Blot

Guided by cables and holding their breath, divers were able to recover valuable goods and equipment (between the years of 1786-88), these were transported by oxen-carts to Lisbon and from there to Spain.

"Under ‘normal’ circumstances a ship leaving the port of Callao in Peru would reach Cádis in slightly under six months. Something incredibly unusual must have happened during this voyage, making it the ships last.

Jean-Yves Blot

The ship with its 64 canons was built in Cuba, more than a decade and a half before the shipwreck, these objects are an example of the over 750 tonnes of metal carried onboard.

During the excavations arms belonging to the ship’s garrison were also found.

“Personal objects found in the periphery of the site, are a testament to the social status of the ship’s owners. They are decorated ornate relief work”

Jean-Yves Blot

These gold cufflinks and belt-buckle are some of the several personal items found in the stern of the ship.

"Objects of a scientific nature, such as fragments of plants, wood and a fragment of glass along with small quantities of mercury associated with these ceramics were found in the surroundings of the shipwreck. These items suggest a possible connection between the findings and the collections brought to Europe by the Spanish botanists Ruiz e Pávon scientists that were on mission in Peru and Chile dating 1778” (Jean-Yves Blot)

In memoriam of Maria Luisa Pinheiro Blot (1946-2014), the archaeologist responsible for the excavation of the ship’s funerary deposit in the Porto de Areia do Norte in Peniche.

 "In my opinion Maria Luisa was an incredible person. She had such generosity and depth of knowledge that her presence irradiated a positive energy that emanated far beyond her physical body. Not only content with sharing her knowledge she united us all through her ‘Vision del Mondo’. There was also something of heroic in her that reminded us of Giordano Bruno, or the intuition of De l'Infinito Universo e Mondi: a humanist who illuminated the greyness of our day to day. Because of this it was a pleasure to hear and know her, Maria Luis holds within me a special place like few others".
(Alexandre Sarrazola) poète, archéologue de la façade fluviale de la ville-port de Lisbonne, 3 Novembre 2015). Extrait de J-YB: BROUILLON NOSTALGIQUE, inédit.

“The Time Salvaged from the Sea” was an exhibition that took place in the 1980s, in this exhibit the department of Nautical and Subaquatic Archaeology joined paths. Together they created a joint investigation that contributed to the legal origins of subaquatic archaeology in Portugal.. Of particular note is the important contribution of Francisco J.S. Alves who was responsible for the development of pioneering projects in the field and was the director of the National Museum of Archaeology between 1980 and 1996.”

António Carvalho

Thirty years after the beginning of Subaquatic and Nautical Archaeology in the 1980s the National Museum of Archaeology started to build a small team consisting under the direction of Francisco Alves it consisted of Adolfo Silveira, Mário de Almeida, Emanuel Perez, Paulo Agostinho e Paulo Deodato which undertook the first excavation of the 80 canon french ship “L’Océan” (1759) is Salema, Vila do Bispo, Algarve.