Brazil
The Galeão São Paulo was an escort galleon of the Companhia Geral de Comércio do Brasil, built in Porto, Portugal, at about 840 tonnes and carrying 20 to 26 cannons. She was part of Pedro Jaques de Magalhães's fleet, which was returning from Bahia to Portugal with a stop in Recife. In 1652, during a battle with the Dutch fleet off Cabo de Santo Agostinho, the galleon exploded violently and sank quickly, and few survived. The exact cause of the explosion is uncertain, but the battle, fought about one mile from the Nazaré fort, possibly set off the powder magazine.
The wreck was located in the early 1970s, and since then bronze cannons and porcelain have been removed from the site. In March 1981, the Brazilian Navy carried out an archaeological survey and located 30 cannons within a 300 m radius. A 159 mm bronze cannon from the São Paulo is on display at the Navy's Museu Naval in Rio de Janeiro. The site has also been explored by looters who mistook it for the Santa Rosa galleon.
The remains are spread over about 2,500 m² of sandy bottom, in two areas marked by mounds of ballast stones. Two isolated cannons lie about 70 m from the larger group.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
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