The Swiss Army Knife of the 17th and 18th Century: An Analysis of how Balandras were used in Historic Spanish Salvage Efforts

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Spanish Plate Fleets departing Havana, Cuba faced many hazards while on their voyage back to Spain. The greatest danger, however, were unexpected tropical storms and hurricanes, which could wreck entire convoys. As a result of such storms, Spain suffered three massive fleet destructions. Since the loss of even one galleon could impact the Spanish economy, Spanish-American authorities established permanent salvage teams equipped with vessels called balandras at principal ports throughout the Caribbean to administer aid to survivors and mount salvage operations. Although Spanish authorities kept detailed records of the salvaging process, little research has focused on the methods, vessels, and enslaved Indigenous and African free divers used to recover submerged cargo. Using the 1622, 1715, and 1733 Spanish Plate Fleet disasters as case studies, this research examines the construction and implementation of balandras in the salvaging process as well as identifying the individuals performing the salvaging.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology