GALEÓN SAN BARTOLOME

[Miguel Gil]

The San Bartolomé was a 900-ton galleon built in Deusto,on the Bilbao estuary, by Agustín de Ojeda in 1589. It belonged to a series of twelve newly designed vessels built to compensate for the losses incurred in the failed expedition of the Spanish Armada of 1588,known historically as the "Twelve Apostles," since they were named after the disciples of Jesus Christ. The San Bartolomé was launched on November 21,1589, just nine months after its keel was laid at the shipyard, although it was notcompleted and ready for service until the end of August 1592.
According to the Gross register tonnage, carried out in Portugalete in 1592, the San Bartolomé had a maximum beam of 20 cubits (11.5 m) located 12 1/5 cubits (7.19 m) above the bulk cargo, and a length of 63 1/4 cubits (36.37 m) measured at the height of the maximum beam. The depth, measured from the bulk cargo to the main deck, the artillery deck, was 11 1/12 cubits (6.37 m).
In 1597, the San Bartolomé joined the fleet organized for England and was designated to transport Crown funds, demonstrating the confidence placed in this vessel. However, the expedition was hampered by severe storms. During the return to the Iberian Peninsula, the galleon managed to find refuge in the Vivero estuary, but another storm broke its moorings and dragged it back out to sea. Days later, after a difficult drift along the Cantabrian coast, it appeared off Bermeo requesting assistance and finally sank on the Mundaca sandbar on November 13, 1597. The loss of the San Bartolomé also represented a human tragedy. Of the approximately 400 people on board, only about 40 survived.
https://armada.defensa.gob.es/archivo/r ... arte02.pdf
TUSELLO Galeón San Bartolomé. Spain 2026. Letter rates A Standard domestic mail (standard format).Maximum weight: Up to 20 grams
https://www.correos.es/es/es/particular ... nbartolome