Submarine treasures. Treasure hunt. Twenty thousand leagues under the water.

About this heritage

After the famous Battle of Rande, the sunk galleons in the bay created a legend and a dream in the popular imagination since it is not clear if part of the treasures they brought with them sank with the galleons. And there are several projects that were forged to extract Rande's treasures. Twenty-eight boats, ten of which were cargo galleons, were submerged in San Simón´s cove.

This historical event inspired Jules Verne in his novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"; published in 1869. In chapter 8 of the second part, entitled “Vigo´s Bay"; Captain Nemo is proud to offer Aronnax a detailed explanation of the Battle of Rande, at the end of which he exclaims, “ . . Well, Mr Aronnax, we are in Vigo´s bay, and it is up to you to learn its secrets. . .” And then he tells how the Nautilus divers rescued gold and silver chests from the bottom of the estuary, with profuse descriptions of breathing equipment and underwater lighting. The author was describing something that was happening for real in Vigo´s estuary at that time, through the knowledge by French academics who were in charge of locating the gold wrecks´ remains that were being carried out in Vigo.

Nine years after the publication of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"; he visited Vigo by chance, as the steam yacht on which he was travelling, heading for the Mediterranean, had to anchor in the estuary to protect itself from a storm. He spent four days and was able to get to know the landscapes and customs of the locals in situ.

To learn more

Jules Verne made two visits to Vigo, the first one 9 years after having written the novel “20. 000 leagues under the sea"; where one of its chapters takes place in San Simón´s bay. His visit was fortuitous since he went into the estuary with his steam yacht Saint Michel III with the sole purpose of taking refuge from a storm. This improvised stopover was a real event in the city, mobilising the high society of the time, which took care of the author - who had universalised Vigo - with the greatest considerations.

After this visit, in 1884, he returned to the city, this time to solve a problem with the Saint Michel III´s boiler, a fact that allowed him to participate in the social life and festivities of the city.

From the island of San Simón, if you look towards Cesantes beach at low tide, you will see an bronze aged statue representing Captain Nemo. This sculpture is a tribute to Jules Verne for his renowned novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

The work was idealized by Moncho Lastra and sculpted by Sergio Portela Campos.

Jules Verne's novel was inspired by the treasures that sank in the famous Battle of Rande where the French-Spanish navy preferred to burn and sink their ships before being captured by the enemy. However, three galleons were captured: Santo Cristo de Maracaibo, San Diego de San Francisco Javier and Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Only two of them would reach English lands since the Santo Cristo of Maracaibo lies in the vicinity of the Cies Islands.

The Anglo-Dutch considered their victory in San Simón´s waters so important that, to commemorate it, they coined a medal in Holland, representing in a circle of four centimetres in diameter the estuary of Vigo in all its extension, being delineated in relief the mountains and towns of Bouzas, Vigo, Redondela and Cangas. At the bottom, in the middle of the rough waves, the enemy fleet appears to enter the estuary and making fire.

In London, they labelled a street with the name “Vigo"; and minted a coin issue, consisting of three gold and five silver pieces, with the bust of Queen Ana on the front and four coats of arms on the back.

To know it better

Redondela is a municipality in the province of Pontevedra that has been inhabited since ancient times, as different remains of dolmens, petroglyphs and rock engravings have been found on Penide mountain or Mirallo and Ventosela mountain to prove it.

Near Redondela, there is the Rande´s bridge that links the municipalities of Redondela and Moaña. In Vigo´s estuary, we find San Simón island, which has lived many stories, including the Battle of Rande.

The Vigo estuary holds riches and treasures because, from the different battles that took place at sea, many goods were left in the depths. In fact, even today, the sunken galleons are still being sought along with their treasures. This experience inspired Jules Verne to write his famous novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", which described what happened in Vigo´s estuary at that time.