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