''Cinco Chagas'' (English: ''
Five Wounds'') was a
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
''nau'' (
carrack) that was sunk during the
action of Faial on 22–23 June 1594 during the
Anglo-Spanish War. When it was sunk, the carrack was reportedly holding 2,000 tons of treasure.
Description and service
''Cinco Chagas'' was built in Goa like her famous namesake thirty-two years previously. On her maiden voyage in 1593 Francisco de Mello was the captain. Reports suggest that she was overloaded with goods when departing from Goa in 1593. ''Cinco Chagas'' wintered in
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, where it was determined that the ship was in very poor condition. The crew of around 1400 people (including 270 slaves). She was sunk during the
action of Faial on 22–23 June 1594 in the
Anglo-Spanish War. Before it sank the ship had been set on fire, and over five hundred people were killed. The English spared thirteen of the crew.
The cargo of ''Cinco Chagas'' (along with the salvaged cargo from the two other ships) was worth well in excess of 2,000,000 ducats, and in addition there were twenty-two treasure chests of diamonds, rubies, and pearls estimated to be worth US$15–20 billion by 2017 values. The prisoners that were saved told their captors that yielding had been impossible as the riches were for the
king of Spain and Portugal and that the captain, being highly in the king's favor, would upon his return have been made viceroy in the Indies.
[ pp. 45–57] Estimates of the ''Cinco Chagass location suggest that it lies in seas over one mile deep in the Atlantic Ocean eighteen miles south of the channel between
Pico Island
Pico Island (''Ilha do Pico,'' ) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid- ...
and Faial along with its precious cargo of diamonds and gems.
[ pg. 229] The wreck has been searched for by treasure hunters but no signs have been found partly due to the depth.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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* {{Cite book, last1=Southey, first1=Robert, url=http://archive.org/details/britishadmiralsw03sout, title=The British admirals. With an introductory view of the naval history of England, last2=Bell, first2=Robert, date=1833, publisher=London, Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans and John Taylor, others=Brandeis University Libraries
16th-century ships
Age of Sail ships of Portugal
16th-century maritime incidents