Independent Scotland was of course a neutral country. The great ship was in fact the San Juan de Sicilia, a large merchant ship hired as an armed unit of the great Armada fleet. But what I wish to describe are the circumstances in which she was blown up by an internal explosion when she was on the point of setting sail and resuming her voyage to Spain after a lengthy refit. The first theory is that an undercover agent from the English government contrived to have her blown up, secondly that an emissary of MacLean of Duart, who had been sent on board to demand a final settlement of the costs of re-fitting, was siezed and confined near the magazine. Desperate to discipline the greedy Spanish by any means in his power, he managed to lay a train of gunpowder into the magazine and blew himself up along with the ship.
Tobermory harbour is full of history, particularly during the Second World War.
Today Tobermory harbour fulfils that role admirably with its new rows of visitors moorings , good resteraunts, shops , pubs like the Mishnish, Magochans, MacDonald Arms and not forgetting its famous Distillery . Get the booklets from Tackle and Books on the waterfront and do the walk. A really good activity for visitors, and learn more about the town. This Boating webring site owned by Alan Parker .