The Wreck of the SS Santa Isabel

 Isla de la Mientras

On Jan 2nd, 1921, one of the greatest tragedies of modern shipping in Spain happened.

The SS Santa Isabel ran aground of the coast in the Ria de Arousa, only 100 yards from the coast of the now deserted island of Salvora. 

Of the 256 passengers hoping to go to Cadiz and from there to South America, only 56 lived.

The ship hit the rocks at the spot marked (X). As it was New Year, most of the people were celebrating in the town hall, so the lighthouse keeper had to run 400 yards to raise the lifeboats; usually crewed by men, but with most people far away one boat was sailed by three women in their teens. These ladies were accreditted with saving 30 lives and were awarded the highest civilliam gallantry award.

For many years, there was a rumor that the people of the island were wreckers, hence the subtitle of the post Isla de la Mientras meaning Island of Lies. 

The facts shown show that these people were not wreckers, wreckers typically moved warning lights closer to land so they could raid the ship from the shore; they would not have rescued the 56 people.

The following lines from "A Smuggler's Song" by Rudyard Kipling are typical of how wreckers worked.

"Brandy for the parson, baccy for the clerk,

Them that asks no qyestions isn't told a lie-

Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by!

The Gentlemen he refers to were the King's men, the forerunners to the modern customs officers.

However, sometimes, it helps if you can play both sides against each other as in my short story Sea Ghosts which is based on the life of the pirate John "Mad Jack" Amdrews - the most notorious Yorkshire pirate of his day, he was both a wrecker and a Gentleman; he ran the Ship Inn at Saltburn for over 40 years.

His crew knew he was "doing the dirty"  on them and keeping most of the plunder, but he was reknown for his cruelty so nobody dared take him on,

The house on the right of the photo above is the Ship Inn, I took this photo in the late 70's before we left Yorkshire. 

As recent as 2008, there is documented evidence from several sources of the presence of a spirit; this is the spirit of John Andrew's daughter who died aged 4 from diphtheria.