Spanish frigate Santa María Magdalena (1773)

Santa María Magdalena was a 38-gun Spanish frigate built at Ferrol, Galicia in 1773. She sank, together with another ship, the Palomo, in a storm off the coast of Galicia, Spain, 31 October/2 November 1810. Of the 508 people on board, 500 perished in the storm, including her captain, Blas Salcedo y Salcedo, and the commander-in-chief of the Expedition, Joaquín Zarauz. Of the eight that managed to reach shore, five later died of their injuries.

Captain Salcedo's body was later found embracing that of his son, who had also perished in the storm. As a result, a Royal Order (Orden Real) was issued prohibiting fathers and sons or brothers and brothers being part of the crew on the same ship.

The wreck of the Magdalena lies just off the beach of Covas (Viveiro), in Lugo.

Construction
Magdalena was built at the Royal Dockyards of Esteiro at Ferrol, Galicia in 1773.

Service history
At the start of the Anglo-Spanish War, José Caro Sureda, younger brother of Pedro Caro y Sureda, Marquis of La Romana, was given command of the Magdalena, sailing from Cádiz in April 1805 as part of the Spanish squadron led by Federico Gravina, headed for Martinique where, at the Battle of Diamond Rock, a large combined Franco-Spanish fleet was able to oust the British garrison the following month.

Cantabrian Expedition
As part of a plan to establish a base from which to free the western part of the coast of the Cantabrian Sea of French troops and then move on to Guetaria to free up the central and eastern coast of the region, thus cutting Irun off as a port of entry for French supplies to Spain, the Anglo-Spanish squadron, under the command of Joaquín Zarauz, and made up of five frigates, two brigantines and several smaller vessels, plus a landing force of two thousand troops, sailed from La Coruña on 14 October 1810, and headed for Santoña, then in the hands of the French.

Sinking
Having lost its main anchor at Santoña, as had the Paloma, the Magdalena crashed into HMS Narcissus (1801), the lead ship of the Royal Navy Narcissus-class 32-gun fifth-rate frigates which, managing to free herself from the Magdalena headed out to sea. However, the main mast of the Magdalena broke and in its fall made several holes in the hull, while the wind pushed the ship further towards the beach. At the same time, the Palomo was also pushed towards the nearby cliffs and was destroyed.

TV documentary
In 2020, Spain's RTVE produced a 48-minute documentary about the wreck of the Magdalena.