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Tre miliardi nella Baia di Vigo is a monographical essay of Carlo Iberti which is the result of his research that he published only after a work of reconstruction done with long and meticulous studies that led him to London, Paris, Madrid and Vigo to gather the appropriate information. It constitutes an important and authoritative study on this subject based on original documents concerning the sinking of a fabulous treasure in the Vigo Bay in Galicia, Spain, during the famous battle between the British and the Spanish. Published in 1942 by the publisher Hoepli Milan, the book is accompanied by fiftyseven maps, some of it folded.

The book was part of the library of Oreste Macrí and after his death was inherited to the Gabinetto Vieusseux of Florence, it is also the heritage of other libraries of Florence such as the Library Fondazione Spadolini Nuova Antologia, The Library Palagio di Parte Guelfa and it is included in the catalog of the Polo Bolognese del Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale, in the Portal of the Biblioteche dell'Università di Bologna.

Historical reference, the battle of Vigo Bay
During the Spanish Succession War, off the Galician coast, took place the naval battle of Vigo Bay (or Rande) between the British-Dutch fleet commanded by the english Admiral Sir George Rooke and French-Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral François Louis Rousselet de Château-Renault.

The whole of the economy and finances of Portugal were dependent on oceanic traffics, their french allies were not able efficiently protect the trade routes of the Spanish and Portuguese empires or even his own.

The expedition against Spain undertaken by the British-Dutch fleet in 1702 gave anything but glorious results, Rooke had failed to conquer Cadiz because of the opposition by the citizens to the invaders, and he lost hope that the Spanish could even prove to be more favorable to them because of the looting that did not even spare churches.

During the journey back he heard that some Spanish galleons had departed Mexico bound to Cadiz with one of the most precious cargo ever transported and where redirected to Vigo when they arrived on 23 September 1702, Sir George Rooke therefore decided on traveling to Vigo to redeem himself. With a strong expeditionary corps composed of sixteen thousand men among the infantry soldiers and seamen, to the command of General Ormonde they attacked the Spanish galleons destroying the fleet of Chateau-Renault which had escorted it with 30 ships across the ocean.

On October 23 Admiral Rooke attacked and with his military superiority routed the Spanish fleet, managed to conquer the fortified harbors of Vigo and the island of San Simone which is in front of Redondela, sunk twenty French ships, four Spanish galleons and the eight vessels of Villette Philippe de Valois who had to reunite with the Spanish fleet, he also captured nine galleons and eight ships.

The French-Spanish fleet counted two thousand dead, while the British fleet only counted eight hundred dead and about five hundred wounded, it was a complete victory for Admiral Rooke's fleet which earned him the lucrative spoils.

In 1703 Admiral Rooke was minted in a commemorative british coins the guinea and he was rewarded in 1704 with the appointment of Governor of Gibraltar. But what remains a mistery is the remaining part of the treasure, the precious cargo could have been sunk in the bay or transported to shore during the months that preceded the battle. Howhever there is no trace of this transfer in the ships logs or in the logs of the fort of Vigo which should have receivede the delivery.

Since then attempts to retrieve the treasure have been countless. Since 1723 Spain has made several licenses for the recovery of the galleons because it is not certain that the treasure was in fact delivered.

In particular it mention a recovery attempt by the American Society of treasure Vigo that having slung a galleon was unable to bring it back to land because the pressure of the sea crushed the ship during the emersion and consequently lost the cargo

Voci correlate
Carlo Iberti