Projects

The NMS’s Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU) undertakes a range of projects dedicated to managing, preserving and promoting Ireland’s underwater cultural heritage. These include underwater surveys, excavations, rescue of archaeological objects and research studies. Research projects aim to answer questions, to understand better and to quantify the UCH resource.

In addition, the NMS mobilises to address new discoveries reported by leisure divers, follows up on any damage to sites reported by members of the public, and engages with diving communities and local communities to foster awareness and appreciation of underwater heritage. Such outreach encourages a partnership approach and fosters better awareness of UCH, including the intangible stories that surround it.

In terms of undertaking measures for heritage protection, NMS collaborates regularly with the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG), Customs and Excise Receivers of Wreck and other relevant government institutions. We are also involved in collaborations with international partners, such as with the Ministry of Culture in Spain on the shared heritage of the 1588 Spanish Armada wrecks lost around the coast of Ireland.

Project Examples:

History: Spanish galleon escorting La Flota de la Nueva España (‘New Spain treasure fleet’) on its return to Spain from South America, via Cuba, when captured by Dutch Admiral Piet Heyn — the only complete capture of the Spanish fleet. During the journey back to Holland, the Santa Ana Maria was separated during a storm and recaptured by the English privateer Dragon. On the way to Bristol it was caught in another storm and wrecked off Castlehaven, Co. Cork, on 13 December 1628.
Discovery and Salvage: Discovered in the 1960s by local divers with many objects removed at the time, including guns, pottery, cannonballs and other smaller items. Some were later donated to Ireland’s National Museum; many more remain in private hands.
Protection and Research: This wreck highlighted the need for legislation like the 1987 National Monuments Amendment Act. In 2009, NMS carried out a rapid survey and identified an iron cannon, cannonballs and ballast mound, which tied in with anomalies plotted via a marine geophysical survey of the area of the known wreck site.
Current Status: Archaeological objects are subject to recording, analysis and research.
Publication: C. Kelleher, 2020. ‘Death by disgrace: Juan de Benavides y Bazán, the 1628 capture of the Spanish treasure fleet and the wreck of Santa Ana Maria’, in I. Pérez Tostado & D. M. Downey (eds.), Ireland and the Iberian Atlantic: Migration, Military and Material Culture, (Albatros Publications, Valencia, Spain), pp 433-445.

C. Kelleher, 2012. ‘Santa Ana Maria: 1628 wreck of the Capitana of La Flota de la Nueva España’, Beyond Boundaries: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Underwater Archaeology: IKUWA3, (ed.) J. Henderson, Römisch-Germanische Kommission, pp 175-182.
Significance: The Santa Ana Maria ended up wrecked on the reef at the mouth of Castlehaven Harbour on a stormy night in December 1628, after capture, not once but twice — first by the Dutch and then by the English. The story of the wreck is one of navigational incompetence at the time, of bad luck and of legal wrangling that went on long after the ship was lost. This story captures the harshness of life on board, the risks of maritime exploration and exploitation, and the hazards of weather and rocks. As an Iberian-built ship, it is also an important window into shipbuilding techniques of the time, filling gaps in our knowledge and understanding.

Navigational dividers from the Spanish galleon Santa Ana Maria, lost off the Cork coast in 1628 — Navigational dividers from the Spanish galleon *Santa Ana Maria*, lost off the Cork coast in 1628

History: A Catalan ship, built in Mataró, Spain in 1570 as a merchant vessel. During its 18-year service, having been requisitioned by Philip II as a troop ship, it participated in key battles, including the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, 1583 annexation of the Azores/Portugal, and the 1588 Spanish Armada campaign. In September 1588, during a hurricane-level storm, it was wrecked alongside two other Armada ships at Streedagh, Co. Sligo.
Wreck Details: Wrecked alongside La Lavia and Santa Maria de la Visón, with many crew lost. The Spanish Armada Group (SAG), a team of English recreational divers, located and investigated the three wrecks in 1985. Artefacts were recovered at the time, including guns, and are now in the National Museum of Ireland.
Recent Events: Wreck material washed ashore in 2015, indicating exposure and potential damage. NMS conducted a detailed five-week dive investigation focusing on the wreck site of La Juliana, which, of the three, was the main wreck exposed. This revealed well-preserved guns and structural elements spread across a c. 60m x 40m area of seabed. Recovered during NMS’s project, were nine bronze guns, a carriage wheel and a bronze cauldron, now undergoing conservation in the NMI.
Research and Conservation: NMS’s work aimed to assess damage, recover vulnerable objects, and develop long-term management strategies in line with UNESCO guidelines. The recovered material enriches Ireland’s maritime heritage collections. Work is ongoing, and is part of an international collaborative project with the Ministry of Culture, Spain.
Publication: See Resources and Publications.
Significance: The Armada wrecks represent critical underwater cultural heritage, linking Irish, Spanish, Dutch, Croatian, Italian, German and English history; colonial and naval powers; and maritime warfare. Their ongoing study and protection are essential for understanding and preserving this shared history.