The Santa Maria de Vison was a Mediterranean merchantman built in Ragusa and requisitioned in 1587 for service in the Armada of 1588. She was a large

carrack A carrack (; ; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal. Evolved from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade fr ...

and displaced 666 tons and carried 18 guns.

Armada service

She was part of the Levant squadron, a unit made up of mainly heavy transports carrying equipment and soldiers for the land invasion of England. Only one of the Levant squadron made it back to Spain. During the voyage half the fleets medical supplies were transferred to this ship after the La Paz became unseaworthy.

Wreck

She was wrecked during a storm on 22 September 1588 of the coast of

Cairbre Drom Cliabh Cairbre Drom Cliabh (meaning "Ui Cairbre (the descendants of Cairbre) of Drumcliff"), was an Irish ''túath'' in the ancient confederation of Íochtar Connacht (Lower Connacht), now County Sligo in the west of Ireland. It is now represented by t ...

(now

county Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

) on a sandbank off Streedagh strand. Her wreck was discovered in 1985 by an English salvage team. The wreck is protected under the National Monuments (Amendment) Acts 1987 and 1994.

References

{{reflist Spanish Armada 16th-century maritime incidents 16th-century ships