The voyage of the San Giovanni Battista e Le Anime del Purgatorio

A shipment of a full cargo of grain and a case of theriac loaded in Genoa on 21 January 1719 and bound for Málaga. Shortly after departure, the vessel encountered contrary winds, forcing it to seek refuge in Toulon and several other unnamed ports along the French coast. These prolonged delays continued until the ship reached Barcelona, where the captain again paused the voyage to await more favorable conditions, upon which the vessel resumed its course along the southeastern Spanish coast. On 2 April, near Cape Palos, it came under threat from a heavily armed Algerine corsair vessel bearing twenty cannons, which approached from windward and opened fire with its artillery. Realizing the futility of resistance and fearing of capture and enslavement, the patron decided to run the ship aground just north-east of Cape Palos to save the crew and prevent the vessel from falling into enemy hands. That same night, a violent gale brought strong winds and heavy seas that battered the coastline, causing the vessel to be wrecked and torn apart on the rocks. The storm resulted in the total loss of the cargo and most of the ship’s equipment. Only a few pieces—the mainmast, two yards, a worn hemp hawser, and two iron swivel-guns with five shots—were later recovered from the wreck. These were sold for 65½ silver scudi to a certain Giuseppe Steffano in Cartagena. The remaining of the cargo and equipment was declared unrecoverable.