page_title: San Juan de Sicilia
section_title: Scotland and destruction
hierarchical_section_title: San Juan de Sicilia / Scotland and destruction
caption_attribution_description: English: Mingary Castle
context_page_description: The San Juan de Sicilia was one of the 130 ships that formed the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588. The ship was originally known as the Brod Martolosi, before it was seized to form part of the navy. It was one of 10 ships forming the Levant squadron, one of 8 squadrons that formed the entire armada.
  The ship was wrecked off the Inner Hebridean island of Mull, in Argyll, Scotland.
  Over the years the true identity of the wreck was forgotten, and rumours of gold were tied to the ship. The ship was said to have been named the Florida, and to have been the flagship of the fleet, and a treasure ship. It was also said to have been the Florencia. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that the true identity of the ship was determined.
  The remains of the San Juan de Sicilia have been destroyed by countless searches for gold.
context_section_description: On September 23, 1588, the San Juan de Sicilia was spotted off Islay, and several days later landed in Tobermory Bay, on the Isle of Mull. The ship was not damaged, but the crew were short of water, and the ship's senior officer negotiated for supplies with the local chieftain, Lachlan MacLean of Duart. The agreement was that the ship would be replenished if Spanish troops were to be used to settle some of Duart's outstanding feuds with nearby clans. Diego Tellez Enríquez also received a surety of five hostages from Duart, and for more than a month the San Juan de Sicilia remained in port, as Spanish troops ravaged the lands of Duart's enemies. The troops aided Duart by ravaging the Inner Hebridean islands of Rùm and Eigg, which belonged to MacDonald of Clanranald; and the nearby islands of Canna and Muck, which belonged to MacIan of Ardnamurchan. The troops were later used on the mainland, when they besieged Mingary Castle for three days, although MacLean of Duart was then forced to withdraw.
  One of the merchants who provisioned the ship was John Smollet, from Dumbarton, who is now considered to have been an agent for Sir Francis Walsingham. On November 5, 1588, the ship exploded, killing almost everyone on board – including the five hostages. Of the survivors, MacLean of Duart kept about fifty, and used them in his feuding for another year before having them shipped back home to Spain.
caption: Mingary Castle today
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