Against All Odds: The British Siege and the Spanish Defense of Cartagena in 1741 and the Interpretation of Spanish Shipwrecks

Summary

In 1741, British Admiral Edwin Vernon attempted to sack the Spanish colonial town of Cartagena de Indias. Though outmanned and under-gunned, the fragile defensive network established by Blas de Lezo held, thwarting the English attempts. This defensive network is now one aspect of the larger Sunken Ships of Cartagena Project. In 2012 and 2013, marine archaeologists and researchers from the Universidad del Norte en Barranquilla, Texas State University, volunteers from federal institutions, the Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia, and the Colombian Navy began documenting the remains of up to three ships likely associated with the city’s 1741 naval defense. This paper discusses the efforts to document and interpret this submerged cultural heritage which defended against Vernon’s siege. The investigation is the genesis of a partnership to protect and preserve Colombia’s submerged cultural heritage demonstrating that Colombia has the capability to protect its patrimony through collaboration and innovation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Coastal and Port Cities: Maritime Archaeology on Land and Underwater

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-57,08