The Nao Santa Ana: The Sunken Treasure of the Spanish Armada Found in Pasaia

The waters of Pasaia Bay, silent witnesses to centuries of maritime history, have brought to light one of their best-kept secrets. In an announcement resonating with the echo of cannons and the din of imperial battles, the Department of Culture of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa has confirmed an archaeological discovery of extraordinary significance: the remains of what is believed to be the Nao Santa Ana, the legendary flagship of the Gipuzkoa Fleet during the Great Armada of 1588.

This discovery is not just the discovery of a shipwreck; it is the recovery of a fundamental chapter in the history of Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country, a story of naval power, imperial ambition, and, ultimately, a local tragedy that has remained submerged for 437 years. Built in the Pasaia shipyards and commanded by the San Sebastián admiral Miguel de Oquendo, the Santa Ana returns home, emerging from the mud to tell its story.

An Unprecedented Find: Evidence Emerges from the Mud

The discovery is the result of a meticulous and systematic underwater archaeology program that has been underway in Pasaia Bay since 2021. During the expedition, which had already located two 17th-century wrecks, the research team came across a structure that immediately set off all the alarms. At a depth of about 12 meters, in the mud of the port’s main channel, lay a four-meter section of a large ship’s keel, made of sturdy oak wood.

The key to unraveling the wreck’s identity came from science. Two samples of oak wood were extracted and subjected to radiocarbon dating (Carbon-14). The results were conclusive: the chronology revealed by the analysis places the vessel’s construction in the second half of the 16th century.This dating fits perfectly with the construction of the Nao Santa Ana, which took place in the Pasaia shipyards in 1586.

Along with the imposing keel structure, archaeologists recovered seven stone artillery pellets, spherical projectiles with a caliber of approximately 20 centimeters. This type of ammunition is characteristic of naval artillery pieces of the period, adding another layer of evidence that points directly to a 16th-century warship.

The magnitude of the discovery has been confirmed by the most authoritative voices. Regional archaeologist Mertxe Urteaga, one of the experts involved in the project, described the discovery as having “extraordinary historical significance.”For her part, the Provincial Director of Culture, Mari José Tellería, emphasized the heritage value of the bay itself, stating that “it is a true underwater archaeological site. What we have discovered so far—and we are just beginning—confirms its enormous heritage potential.”These statements not only validate the importance of Santa Ana, but also place the discovery within a much broader context of submerged historical treasures off the coast of Gipuzkoa.

The Story of the Nao Santa Ana: Pride of the Pasaia Shipyards

To understand the importance of these remains, it’s necessary to travel back in time to the 16th century, the golden age of Basque shipbuilding. The Pasaia shipyards were a hive of activity, a center of technological innovation renowned throughout Europe, from which the vessels that sustained Philip II’s vast empire departed, from the commercial fleets of the Carrera de Indias to the whaling ships that ventured into the North Atlantic.⁷

It was in this context, around 1586, that Santa Ana was built. It wasn’t a galleon, the most stylized and purely military type of vessel, but a nao, a more robust and versatile vessel, designed for both cargo and combat. Historical sources present some discrepancies regarding its exact dimensions, a common occurrence in contemporary documentation. Some records describe it with a displacement of 690 tons, while others, such as those of the Royal Academy of History, raise that figure to an impressive 1,200 tons, which would make it one of the largest ships in the entire fleet. It was armed with powerful artillery, with sources citing between 24 and 47 cannons.

Commanding this formidable vessel was one of the most legendary figures of the Spanish Navy: Admiral Miguel de Oquendo y Segura. Born in San Sebastián in 1534, Oquendo was a battle-hardened sailor, a veteran of the seas whose expertise was so respected that he was appointed lieutenant general of the entire Spanish Navy, second in command only to the Duke of Medina Sidonia.The Santa Ana was his flagship, the

captainof the Guipúzcoa Squadron, one of the most important fleets that made up the “England company”.

Historical Clarification: The Two Ships “Santa Ana”

To avoid common historical confusions, it is essential to distinguish the 16th-century ship found in Pasaia from another famous Spanish vessel of the same name. The existence of two important ships named “Santa Ana” in different centuries has often led to misunderstandings. Analysis of historical records allows us to clearly differentiate them. Oquendo’s ship is a relic of the Age of Discovery and the great imperial navies, while its namesake successor represents the pinnacle of Enlightenment shipbuilding.

This distinction is crucial. The ship resting on the bed of Pasaia Bay is the 16th-century predecessor, a direct protagonist of the epic and tragic journey of the Great Armada.

The Tragic End: Fire and Death at the Port of Return

The Great Armada campaign of 1588 was a disaster. After clashes in the English Channel against the more agile and better-armed English fleet, the Spanish fleet was forced into a painful retreat around the British Isles, where the North Atlantic storms wreaked more havoc than the enemy itself.

The Santa Ana, battered but afloat, was one of the survivors who managed to return to the Cantabrian coast, seeking refuge in its home port of Pasaia. However, fate had an even crueler end in store for it. On October 24, 1588, while the crew was busy unloading war material, an accidental spark struck the ship’s powder magazine.

The explosion was catastrophic. The formidable ship “blew into the air,” disintegrating in an instant and littering the bay with wreckage and corpses. The irony was terrible: dozens of sailors, some sources speak of more than 100 men, who had survived Francis Drake’s cannons and the fury of the ocean, met their deaths in the safety of their own homes. A contemporary witness stated that the ship “burned in the Passage port.”

As for Admiral Oquendo, he did not perish in the explosion. He returned from the campaign ill and heartbroken over the failure of the undertaking. He died in his home in San Sebastián in early October 1588, just a few weeks before his beloved flagship met its tragic end.¹⁰

The Importance of the Discovery: A World-Class Deposit

The discovery of the Santa Ana transcends local interest. It is a direct window into one of the most crucial moments in European history and a first-rate material testimony to 16th-century Basque naval technology. While the archives offer us written accounts, the wreck offers us the physical “document”: the wood, the nails, the projectiles.

This discovery places Pasaia Bay on the map of the world’s great underwater archaeological sites. It confirms, as the Director of Culture pointed out, the “enormous heritage potential” of the Gipuzkoan coast, a true underwater historical archive.

Furthermore, the project is a model of success based on institutional collaboration, a “collective investigation. “Coordination between the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Port Authority, the San Sebastián Naval Command, the Aranzadi Science Society, and the Blas de Lezo Vocational Training Center has been key. The Spanish Navy played a key role in deploying the multipurpose vessel.

carnotafor prospecting work, while teachers and students from Blas de Lezo actively participated as divers in the dives.

The future of the remains is a scientific and cultural challenge. The recovered wood pieces will undergo complex conservation processes to stabilize them and prevent them from disintegrating when they dry.The ultimate goal is for them to be put on public display. A major exhibition is planned at the Itsas Museum in San Sebastian, where the remains of the Santa Ana will interact with those of other Basque wrecks, such as those of Orio or the Flemish urca of Iturritxiki, weaving a comprehensive narrative about the region’s rich maritime past.

Pasaia and the Sea: A Legacy of Shipbuilding and Adventure

The discovery of the Santa Ana is not an isolated event, but rather confirmation of Pasaia’s extraordinary maritime heritage. During the 16th and 17th centuries, its shipyards were not only the most important in the Crown of Castile, but in all of Europe. Ships connecting a global empire were launched here, applying knowledge and technology that were the envy of the world.

This legacy has a fascinating parallel in another ship from Pasaia: the Nao San Juan. Built in Pasaia in 1563, this whaling ship sank in 1565 in Red Bay (Labrador, Canada). Its remains, discovered in 1978, became an icon of underwater archaeology and a symbol of the Basque whaling saga. Today, the Albaola maritime factory, in the same bay of Pasaia, is building a life-size replica using 16th-century techniques.The discovery of the Santa Ana reinforces this narrative, connecting Pasaia with two of the most important shipwrecks of the 16th century on both sides of the Atlantic, one commercial and one military, both born on its slipways.

Conclusion

The Nao Santa Ana, the pride of the Pasaia shipyards, has returned. She survived the greatest fleet of her time and the fury of the ocean, only to meet a fiery and tragic end in the very waters that saw her birth.

For more than four centuries, she has remained a legend, a story whispered on the docks. Today, thanks to science, technology, and exemplary collaboration, that legend has become tangible. The remains of her keel and cannons are not just wood and stone; they are a cultural treasure, a monument to the skill of Basque shipbuilders and a solemn memory of the men who sailed and perished aboard her. While experts work to preserve and exhibit this heritage, the Bay of Pasaia reminds us that beneath its calm waters countless stories still sleep, waiting to be told.

Author: Descubre Donostia