The Underwater Archaeological Unit of Ireland’s Department of National Monuments Service recovered a cannon said/thought to be from La Juliana, an Armada shipwreck.
(Photo from “Dive Ireland Jubilee Reasons to be Cheerful” by Roy Stokes in Subsea magazine No.176, Spring 2024, courtesy of the Irish Times).
According to Wikipedia, “La Juliana ….. was a merchant vessel launched in 1570 near Barcelona, Spain. King Philip II commandeered her on 15 December 1586 at Sicily, and had her armed with 32 guns for the Spanish Armada. In 1985, local divers found the wreckage of three vessels of the Armada that had been driven ashore in autumn 1588 at Streedagh Strand, north of the Rosses Point Peninsula on the west coast of Ireland. Two were identified as La Lavia and the La Santa Maria de Vison; La Juliana was probably the third, but that identity was less certain. The three vessels had been part of the Levant squadron, which had been under the command of Don Martin de Bertendona in La Regazona. La Lavia was the vice flagship.
“In spring 2015, after storms sent some artifacts onto Streedagh Strand, Ireland's Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht sent divers to recover what the storms had uncovered. One particular find was a bronze cannon decorated with the image of Saint Matrona of Barcelona, which bears the initial "D" on its touchhole – the mark of the Genoese gunfounder Gioardi Dorino II. Other pieces with this mark recovered from the wreck indicate that he cast most of what became La Juliana's bronze ordnance. The cannon is dated 1570, which corresponds to the date of La Juliana's construction; according to the Irish government, this puts the identity of the third wreck "beyond doubt".”
This bronze cannon is said/thought to be from La Juliana, was raised off Streedagh: -
(Photo from “Dive Ireland Jubilee Reasons to be Cheerful” by Roy Stokes in Subsea magazine No.176, Spring 2024, courtesy of the Irish Times).
Renato Gianni Ridella told me that the cannon from La Juliana was raised “off Streedagh Strand, Sligo, in 2015.” He sent me these two maps found online, with arrows pointing out the wreck sites added by him: -
The two maps found online
(with arrows pointing out the wreck sites added by Renato Gianni Ridella)
Rory McNeary told me that he is shown coiling the diver's umbilical at far left in the earlier photo: -
(Photo from “Dive Ireland Jubilee Reasons to be Cheerful” by Roy Stokes in Subsea magazine No.176, Spring 2024, courtesy of the Irish Times).
Another photo in “Dive Ireland Jubilee Reasons to be Cheerful” by Roy Stokes in Subsea magazine No.176, Spring 2024 features this cannon from the La Trinidad Valencera, another Armada shipwreck: -
(Photo from “Dive Ireland Jubilee Reasons to be Cheerful” by Roy Stokes in Subsea magazine No.176, Spring 2024, courtesy of the Derry Journal)
It was discovered by members of the Derry Sub Aqua Club in 1971. The article by Roy Stokes states that the La Trinidad Valencera sank in Kinnagoe Bay (Co. Donegal).
Nico Brinck told me "This is one of the four 'curtows' cast by Remi de Halut in Malines. They are now in Irish Museums."
(I didn't know just what a 'curtow' was. It wasn't in my dictionary and it wasn't in AI's vocabulary, so I asked Nico to explain. His reply was "A curtow ( from German "Kartau") is a heavy siege gun. In the 16th century it is the biggest calibre that still could be transported on a carriage, between 40 and 50 pounder." )
(Nico also sent me this screenshot: -
"The above cannon is one of four 40prs of a siege train of eight, transported by Armada ships. The other four made it back to Spain," he told me.)
It appears from the above two maps found online (with arrows pointing out the wreck sites added by Renato Gianni Ridella) that a cannon from the La Trinidad Valencera went to the Derry Tower Museum, and three cannon from the La Juliana went to the Dublin National Museum.
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