San Juan de Sicilia
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Brod Martolosi |
| Out of service: | seized by the viceroy of Sicily for service in the Spanish fleet, December 1586 |
 Spain
|
|
| Name: | San Juan de Sicilia |
| Acquired: | for the Spanish fleet, December 1586 |
| Fate: | exploded and sunk off the Isle of Mull, Scotland, 5 November 1588 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 800 |
| Complement: | 62 crewmen; 287 soldiers |
| Armament: | 26 guns |
The San Juan de Sicilia was one of the 130 ships that formed the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588. The ship was originally known as the Brod Martolosi, before it was seized to form part of the navy. It was one of 10 ships forming the Levant squadron, one of 8 squadrons that formed the entire armada.
The ship was wrecked off of the Inner Hebridean island of Mull, in Argyll, Scotland.
Over the years the true identity of the wreck was forgotten, and rumours of gold were tied to the ship. The ship was said to have been named the Florida, and to have been the flagship of the fleet, and a treasure ship. It was also said to have been the Florencia. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that the true identity of the ship was determined.
The remains of the San Juan de Sicilia have been destroyed by countless searches for gold.
The San Juan de Sicilia was one of many ships embargoed to enforce the Spanish Armada. She was originally known as the Brod Martolosi, and was based out of Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik), and captained by Luka Ivanov Kinkovic. The ship, and several others, were commandeered by the viceroy of Sicily in December 1586. The ship may have seen service with the Spanish in 1587, when the Marquis of Santa Cruz commanded a fleet to the Azores. The ship was renamed the Santa Maria de Gracia y san Juan Bautista, although it was not the only ship to be named after St John the Baptist, and as such, she became known as the San Juan de Sicilia to differentiate it from the others.
The San Juan de Sicilia was one of 10 ships that formed the Levant squadron, which was commanded by Martín de Bertendona. The squadron of 10 ships was manned by 767 seamen, and 2,780 soldiers. The San Juan de Sicilia was one of the larger ships of the fleet, with only about 20 of the total 130 ships being larger. The senior officer on board was Diego Tellez Enríquez. It had a crew of 62 seaman, who were mainly Slavonic, under the command of Luka Ivanov Kinkovic. The ship also carried military troops: 135 Sicilians, under the command of Miguel de Garros; 54 Flemings, under the command of Antonio de Valcarel; and 90 Spaniards, under the command of Don Pedro Enriquez.
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Wikipedia