The Treasure of the "San Jose": Death at Sea in the War of
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Phillips, Carla Rahn, PUBLISHER: Johns Hopkins University Press, Sunk in a British ambush in , ong>theong> Spanish galleon "San Jos? "was rumored to have one ong>ofong> ong>theong> richest cargos ever lost at sea. Though treasure hunters have searched for ong>theong> wreck's legendary bounty, no one knows exactly how much went down with ong>theong> ship or exactly where it sank. Here, Carla Rahn Phillips confronts ong>theong> legend ong>ofong> lost treasure with documentary records ong>ofong> ong>theong> "San Jos?"'s final voyage and suggests that ong>theong> loss ong>ofong> silver and gold en route to Spain paled in comparison to ong>theong> loss ong>ofong> ong>theong> six hundred men who went down with ong>theong> ship. Drawing from rich archival records, Phillips presents a biography ong>ofong> ong>theong> ship and its crew. With vivid detail and meticulous scholarship, ong>theong> author tells ong>theong> stories ong>ofong> ong>theong> ong>ofong>ficers, sailors, apprentices, and pages who manned ong>theong> ship and explains ong>theong> historical context in which ong>theong> "San Jos?" became prey to ong>theong> British squadron. But ong>theong> story does not end with ong>theong> sinking ong>ofong> ong>theong> "San Jos?." While Phillips addresses ong>theong> persistent question ong>ofong> how much treasure was on board when ong>theong> ship went down, she focuses on ong>theong> human dimensions ong>ofong> ong>theong> tragedy as well. She recovers ong>theong> accounts ong>ofong> British naval ong>ofong>ficers involved in ong>theong> battle, and examines ong>theong> impact ong>ofong> ong>theong> ship's loss on ong>theong> Spanish government, ong>theong> survivors, and ong>theong> families ong>ofong> ong>theong> men who perished. Original, comprehensive, and compelling, "ong>Theong> Treasure ong>ofong> ong>theong> " "San Jos?" separates popular myth from history and sheds light on ong>theong> human lives associated with a "treasure" ship. " "