In 1963, the Spanish galleon the Santo Cristo De Burgos capsized, but last month, volunteers uncovered over 20 pieces of the shipwrecked vessel near Astoria, Oregon. The same city that 80s classic, The Goonies was set in.
In the film, a group of children come across a doubloon from 1632 and an old treasure map leading to the treasure of the pirate One-Eyed Willy. They discover a pirate ship called The Inferno off the Astoria coast which is filled with gold.
Researchers believe that the timbers came from the Santo Cristo de Burgos which capsized while sailing from the Philippines to Acapulco, Mexico.
Santo Cristo De Burgos backstory
When the ship first capsized, pieces of cargo which also contained chunks of beeswax had washed ashore which led to locals also naming the ship Beeswax Wreck said Scott Williams, president of the Maritime Archaeological Society.
According to Williams, an Oregon resident was looking for agate gemstones along the coast a few years ago when he stumbled upon what he believed to be the first few pieces of the Spanish galleon’s wreckage. The resident had heard the stories about the Beeswax Wreck since he was a child, which led him to believe that what he’d discovered was no ordinary driftwood.
It took over two years for Williams to organise an excavation team to dig up the remaining known timber due to COVID-19 pandemic delays as well as the time it took to secure the appropriate permits.
The timbers were found in a rocky area at the base of the sea cliffs that were only exposed at very low tides, which meant that the team only had a short and closing window of opportunity to safely retrieve the wood.
William’s team believes that the pieces they excavated made up parts of the ships lower hull, such as the ribs or supports as well as the upper hull’s decking.
Further shipwreck excavation
The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria are currently analysing the timbers at their curation facility. The team hopes to publish additional details of the discovery in a scientific journal to aid in future research and will continue searching for more of wreckage from the Santo Cristo de Burgos using magnetometers and sonar says Williams.
Williams should recruit actor Jonathan Ke Huy Quan who played Data in The Goonies to be part of his team, as the James Bond enthusiasts abilities with gadgets would come in handy. Plus, he’s already found a lost ship and a Goonie’s never-say-die attitude would keep Williams team motivated in their expedition.
Films such as this years Uncharted continue to draw inspiration from Spanish history as the film saw Tom Holland’s Nathan Drake try to locate the hidden treasure of the Magellan expedition which departed from Spain in 1519 with the goal of being the first to circumnavigate the world. This goal was achieved in 1522 by Spaniard Juan Sebastiàn Elcano.