RANDE GALLEONS

In the Ría de Vigo, between the island of San Simón and the Bridge of Modernity, the Rande Galleons are submerged. They are the remains of the ships sunk in the Battle of Rande, fought in October 1702 between a Franco-Spanish and an Anglo-Dutch squad. As a result of the battle, the largest Spanish fleet of the time was sunk, the "Golden Fleet", made up of 19 Spanish galleons, escorted by 22 French ships, which transported a valuable cargo from America, known as the "Spanish Treasure of Indies”. A monument with three anchors in the Parque de los Cedros de Vigo recalls that legendary sinking. Also remembered by Jules Verne in his work "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", in the chapter entitled "In the Bay of Vigo". The latest investigations carried out have made it possible to verify the presence of at least 8 sunken ships in the bay, including emblematic galleons such as the "Santísima Trinidad" and French ships such as the "Solide" or the "Le Fort", although he believes that later campaigns will be able to ratify the presence of new remains. At depths between 3 and 26 meters, in some cases with great visibility problems due to the suspension of mud and algae, since the remains were sometimes hidden under the surface, vegetation or entangled in fishing gear, they can be seen remains of the frames or the wooden lining, ballast stones, refractory bricks or cannon balls. Considered the most precious historical asset of the Ría, to dive in this area you need a special permit. It is expected that, together with the use of its historical value, its exploitation for underwater tourism will soon be facilitated.

Various sources