Analysis of the Wreck of the Rosario and Conclusions
In the event of a storm with high winds, a ship captain routinely sets two anchors
off the bow in the direction of the wind. Doing so allows the bow, the most
streamlined component of the vessel, to cut through wind and waves and, thereby,
reduce the impact on the ship. In the case of a frigate that its captain described
as "greatly rotten," orienting the bow into the wind would have been
particularly important (Plaskett; Jernigan, personal communication). In preparation
to receive the mast timbers, Antonio de Landeche presumably took the action
as a ship captain would take today, setting one anchor toward each intra-cardinal
direction, except for the northeast, toward which he set two anchors. These
two anchors set to the northeast were most certainly set from the bow, rather
than the stern, port or starboard (Agustín, 1705).
In high winds or a storm, a ship captain anchors his vessel in the direction
of the wind, allowing his vessel to swing freely. The captain maneuvers the
bow into the storm, leaving only the bow anchor(s) and removing the rest (Plaskett;
Jernigan, personal communication). Although not explicitly stated, after the
gangplank broke away, Admiral Landeche probably slipped or cut the cables for
the three anchors set to the northwest, southwest and southeast, leaving moored
only the two bow anchors to the northeast. This is supported by the following:
"The anchors began to grab, causing the head of the ship to turn, making
for the two anchors which were not sufficient for the force being received.
They were maintained all day by the force of the men's arms until at last, the
ship was overcome by the rigors of the hurricane and the great seas that it
spawned" (Landeche, 1705b).
The Rosario did not complete its mission in 1705: that being to retrieve
the mast timbers and spars that had been harvested in anticipation of the ship's
arrival. Arriving at the epicenter of a battlefield on which the great powers
of Europe contested for a foothold, the northern Gulf Coast, the Rosario
met its demise not at the hands of a European foe, but at the hands of a powerful
natural phenomenon. A year later the lorcha El Santo Rey David arrived
at Pensacola to complete the task the Rosario had left unfinished.