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The San Jose that was sunk by English cannons in 1708, in the middle of a bloody battle for the fortune aboard.  Another fight this time a legal one, is taking place three centuries later around the galleon and its booty of gold and silver coins and various jewels, worth nearly 17,000 million dollars that is guarded in its underbelly.  This article was published in the Diario Vasco by Elena Viñas.

Elena Viñas.   They assure us that hidden in the bottom of the Caribbean near Colombia is the largest sunken treasure known to man, but few have fixed the incalculable value of the ship that was built in the shipyards in Gipuzkoa.

Experts like Xabier Agote, president of Albaola and supporter of the building of a replica of the San Juan, focus on the history of the ship that can no doubt be qualified as emblematic.  His interest in it has led him to make contacts with people in Colombia’s government providing his experience and that of the association in Pasaia that he presides.

CHARACTERISTICS       

Structure

Dimensions: 50 meter long and 15 wide

Weight: More than  1,030 tons

Construction

Shipyards: Mapil in Usurbil then to Orio and finally, Pasaia [the three of them in Gipuzkoa]

Contractor: Pedro de Arostegui, who was followed by his son Francisco

Reforms: Rushed on orders by Antonio Gaztañeta

«We realized while studying the ship that as per its dimensions it was considered like a cathedral of the sea.  We are ready to contribute what we can, as we have in other research in Canada on the San Juan, the archeological excavation that took place this summer in Maine, and more recently in the Philippines, as part of the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the voyage of Urdaneta,» he said.

Agote and other colleagues in Albaola, like Xabier Alberdi, doctor of History and specialist in Basque Country Maritime History and director of the research department and the aforementioned entity, have gathered much information on the San Jose’s past, unveiling chapters that, beyond the disputed cargo, currently remain unedited.  

The galleon is “an example of cutting edge technology” of the time “anywhere in the world,” capable of  transporting huge quantities of material and able to face the worst weather conditions and be ready for combat as if it were a battle ship.

«The galleon San Jose is an example of cutting edge technology of the time anywhere in the world»

It was constructed by Pedro de Arostegui, the contractor, or asentista as it was called at that time. The crown commissioned him the San Jose and its twin that was baptized the San Joaquin, called to be the captain and admiral of galleons, respectively as part of the Indies fleet.  Instructions by the superintendent of the army Francisco Antonio Garrote were followed in its design.

Construction began at the shipyard in Mapil, situated in the Aginaga neighborhood in Usurbil, and then work continued in Orio to finally be completed in Pasaia.

«It was nearly 1,030 tons and as all ships of that era, really big, and so had to finish up in the port of Pasaia.  It’s not a surprise. It was too big and weighed too much, that it would risk running aground in a river if there wasn’t enough water.  In Usurbil, it was constructed until the second of its three decks, enough to guarantee its stability, » Xabier Agote said.

In Orio the third and its main deck was built – which had begun in Mapil – until it was finally taken to its final destination, where they would install the masts and the fore and aft castle stems would be built.

«The San Jose was taken by crane by small rowing boats that were attached the ship’s hull.  That is how it traveled from Orio to Pasaia to attach the masts,» Xabier Alberdi added, while the head of Albaola stresses the relevance of dock where it finished.

«It was the most important port, with a deep channel that was favorable for the ships to port and launch.  Its terrain allowed it to develop into an impressive ship building area,» Agote said.

Surrounded in controversy

The construction of the San Jose and the San Joaquin was surrounded in controversy from the beginning.  Alberdi has studied the controversy in detail and believes that there were two key moments: the beginning of the construction and their launch.

As he explains, «in a contract that Arostegui singed with the crown, he established that the twin ships would be constructed at the Royal Shipyard Basanoaga in Errenteria. Nevertheless, Arostegui decided at the last minute to build them at Mapil in Usurbil.  We don’t know what happened.  Maybe the change was due to the existence of a forest nearby that would provide the necessary materials at a better price.  In Errenteria there were a lot of complaints, since the decision would also affect the prestige of the town that counted on the ship construction.»

Launching both ships from Usurbil resulted in a law suit.  Xabier Alberdi discovered the details of the proceedings in an archive in Tolosa where documents regarding the case have been preserved by the secretary of war in the Spanish court.

«In order to launch from Mapil and avoid any problems, they began eliminating traps and nets vital for salmon fishing.  They had to come to an agreement and only removed one end of it so that the ships could head towards Orio, » he said.

The end of an era

The work on the San Jose and San Joaquin finished in Pasaia in 1698.  Pedro de Arostegui didn’t see them completed as he died a year earlier.  It was then his son that took over.  Antonio de Gaztañeta, an illustrious marine engineer, supervised the work and drove the identical ships to the port of Cadiz in 1699.

«Gaztañeta revolutionized naval technology of the time.  He did so by changing the design of the galleons because they were not convinced by the end of their voyage to the south of the country,» Xabier Agote said.  These modifications were «technological milestones» give that «it was the end of the classic Spanish galleon. » «From that time on, they were built differently with different characteristics dictated by him, » he stressed.  The ships that were created in since the San Jose were not the same.  They were «altered» by the improvements that were introduced.

«We have begun contacting the Colombian Government in hopes of studying the ship»

From Albaola they stress the importance of the ship, because of its origin «one hundred percent 'Made in Gipuzkoa'»  as well as to mark «the end of an era». «It makes me said to see how they talk about the San Jose and don’t reference its origin, something that is documented, but had never been divulged.  It is an example of the power of the Basque Country in naval construction, » he declares.  Comparing it with the Space industry, Agote says that «The Basque Country would be the equivalent of NASA and Pasaia, Cape Canaveral. »

If the history of the ship is exciting, its future could be even more so.  The president of Colombia has announced his intention to creating a museum, in the Scandinavian style, around the San Jose in Cartagena de Indias, the city closest to the sunken ship, and coincidentally where the illustrious sailor from Pasaia, Blas de Lezo (1689-1741) was killed and where he is considered a hero, marked by a statue.

(Originally published in El Diario Vasco)