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Why did the San José sink?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: a British shot reached the magazine and the ship blew upAhead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. A British shot reached the magazine and the ship blew up. leads, with evidence 1 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

The explosion story shapes expectations of the wreck (a scattered site, cargo blown out); a hull failure would leave a different site and a different conservation problem. The 2025 archival review reopened the question⁠[1].

Answers 3

Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Jaramillo Arango puts forward: a British shot reached the magazine and the ship blew up.
  2. Jaramillo Arango puts forward: the hull, overloaded and badly repaired, opened in the fight and she foundered.
  3. Jaramillo Arango: the Spanish correspondence stresses the ship's poor condition and repairs rather than an explosion.Against: A British shot reached the magazine and the ship blew up.
  4. Jaramillo Arango: wager's journal and the British account describe her blowing up.For: A British shot reached the magazine and the ship blew up.
  5. Jaramillo Arango: only fourteen survivors from about 600 is consistent with either a sudden loss or an explosion.Against: The hull, overloaded and badly repaired, opened in the fight and she foundered.
  6. Jaramillo Arango: the 2025 systematic review of the archives finds the hull-failure reading more plausible.For: The hull, overloaded and badly repaired, opened in the fight and she foundered.
  7. Asked on this site
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