3314) Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Spanish: "Our Lady of the (Immaculate) Conception"): or Santa Maria de la Consolación 1641 (Part One): i) Reasons for the delay in transporting the enormous Treasure: ii) The Pirate Threat: iii) The Spanish Cob Coin Pillars and Waves Design coins carried on the Consolación: iv) The wrecking of the ship:
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Perhaps no other class of seafarers is quite so famous – or infamous!
But tying shipwreck coins to actual pirates is rare – most treasure galleons sank due to hurricanes, poor navigation or lack of upkeep.
The pirate ship Whydah Gally (commonly known simply as the Whydah) was a fully rigged ship that was originally built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship. On the return leg of her maiden voyage of the triangle trade, Whydah Gally was captured by the pirate Captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, beginning a new role in the Golden Age of Piracy.
It sank in 1717 and was discovered by Barry Clifford in 1984, and is the only documented pirate ship to ever be discovered.
But the Treasure of Isla de Muerto (The Treasure of Dead Man’s Island) is an interesting exception… for her cache of glittering treasure went to the bottom because of – yes, you guessed it – PIRATES!
Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Spanish: "Our Lady of the (Immaculate) Conception"):
Nuestra Señora de la Concepción was a 120-ton Spanish galleon that sailed the Peru–Panama trading route during the 16th century. This ship has earned a place in maritime history not only by virtue of being Sir Francis Drake's most famous prize, but also because of her colourful nickname, Cagafuego ("fireshitter").
For unknown reasons, perhaps because her mint shipment was late, Santa Maria de la Consolación began her solitary voyage up the West Coast of South America where she was to land at present-day Panama. It was there her precious treasure would be loaded on to a mule train, for the overland transport to the Atlantic, Cuba and then home to Spain.
A delay in getting its silver coins from the mint in Potosi prevented the Santa Maria de la Consolacion from sailing with the rest of the armada from Callao, Chile. When the lone ship met with the pirates, the captain decided to ground the Consolacion on Isla de Muerto, but because the vessel hit the reef, it was evacuated and intentionally set on fire to stop any stealing. Neither pirates nor returning Spaniards were able to recover all of the treasure.
But, Consolacion, alone and unprotected, would never see home. Spied by Bartholomew Sharpe, a British pirate sailing the seas off of Ecuador (where Spanish ships would stop to reprovision) in search of a rich prize, she was soon pursued by the pirate ship.
From the large, silver dollar sized 8 reales, to 4, 2 and 1 reales, most minted in Potosi, Upper Peru (present day Bolivia). Only about 25 percent of the Spanish silver minted into coin form then were the 4 reales and smaller denominations, making them extremely rare and highly prized today.
Heavy and treasure-laden (trying to make it to safety at the Spanish settlement of Guayaquil, Equador), Consolacion struck a reef off of Santa Clara Island. When the passengers abandoned the foundering ship, the crew set fire to her in an attempt to keep the pirates from claiming the treasure.
Legend says that the pirates were so enraged they took their revenge on the crew before they could reach the safety of the island, and thus the island was nicknamed “Dead Man’s Island.”
In fact the probable explanation is that from the sea, Santa Clara Island looks like a "dead man lying on his back under a shroud" - and navigators of the time called it “El Muerto.”
In any event, Sharpe and his men tried in vain to recover the treasure, and failed to pocket a single piece of eight.
Ironically, later, Spanish attempts also failed. And so Consolacion’s treasure lay undisturbed, at the bottom of the sea, until modern day treasure salvors first began bringing “Pieces of Eight” to the surface in 1997.
Traces of the treasure of the Santa Maria de la Consolacion, the Spanish ship which was wrecked off the coast of Ecuador in the 17th century discovered.
For more than 300 years, thousands of silver coins remained at the bottom of the sea. They are now collected by numismatists fond of Spanish coins. Let’s take a look back at the sinking of the Consolacion and its legendary treasure.
The Spanish Cob Coin Pillars and Waves Design:
While each coin does not have every detail, the most striking feature is the two upright “pillars” which represent the Pillars of Hercules; the waves below, the Atlantic Ocean.
Starting in the 10 o’clock position there is a “P” for Potosi, next is a number for the denomination. Next is the assayer’s initial.
The two or three numerals above the center wave are the date. Through the center runs the phrase "PLV SVL TRA" – “Plus Ultra” – "More Beyond the Pillars of Hercules".
On the reverse is the crusaders cross, with lions and castles in the four quadrants representing the early Spanish kingdoms of Leon and Castile.
Coins minted in the 1700s will have three digits, i.e. 737 for 1737.
What treasure was carried on the Spanish ship?
The 150-foot-long, 64-gun, three-masted galleon ship's treasure is comprised of 200 tons of silver and emeralds, 11 million gold coins, an intact Chinese dinner service and porcelain pottery, according to Colombian Navy divers' findings in June 2022.
Basil Ringrose, a buccaneer on the Trinity, wrote in 1684 in his adventure story "Bucaneers of America" the words of Francisco, a captured pilot: “a certain ship that came from Lima bound for Guayaquil ran aground at Santa Clara, losing there in silver the value of 100,000 pieces of eight”.
The sinking of the Consolacion: A legendary story?
How did the Santa Maria de la Consolacion end up at the bottom of the ocean?
In the 17th century, the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain shared the colonies. The other maritime powers did not look kindly on this and pirates hired by other nations sailed and raged in the troubled waters.
In South America in particular, maritime traffic was rich and intense. Ships carried silver and gold from the mines in Bolivia to Panama, before being sent to Europe.
The Consolacion was one of them. A galleon armed with 24 cannons and 350 sailors, it left the port of Lima in April, heading north.
Legend has it that on its way, it came across the Trinity, the ship of the pirate Bartholomew Sharp. The latter chased him. In a panic, the commander of the Consolacion struck the island of Santa Clara. The crew set fire to the ship before it sank so that the pirates could not steal the goods. He was then massacred by the buccaneers.
However, this story is nothing more than a legend that has kept the myth alive for decades. outine stopover for the Armada del Mar del Sur, the Galleons carrying treasure from Spain to Chile and Peru to Panama.
The Shipwreck:
The Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion ran aground on the reefs of Hispañola (now the Dominican Republic) in 1641 after being caught in a hurricane off Florida. The ship was carrying a large amount of silver, and treasure hunters searched for it for hundreds of years.
It seems that the Santa Maria de la Consolación hit Santa Clara Island alone.
(Parts 2 & 3 are under preparation).
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