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Articles

No. 27 (2022)

Characterization of Four Shipwrecks from 1741 in Cartagena Bay

Submitted
October 26, 2022
Published
2022-05-30

Abstract

In 1741, the English Empire carried out a large-scale attack against Cartagena de Indias. To defend the city, the commanding officer Admiral Blas de Lezo strategically sunk several warships to form a line of defense and led the Spanish to ultimate victory. Through an analysis of historic documents and cartography, complemented with acquired field data, it was possible to locate and identify four anomalies that are, compatible with the warships, Conquistador, Dragón, África and San Carlos. This study contributes to defining conservation and preservation strategies of submerged cultural assets, a topic which Colombia must develop in the future.