Santa Anna (ship)

"Santa Anna" was an early 16th Century carrack of the Knights Hospitaller. The war ship was celebrated for its many modern features. While some authors view its lead sheathed hull as an early form of ironclad,Jochen Brennecke: "Geschichte der Schiffahrt", Künzelsau 1986 (2nd. ed.), p.138] others regard it primarily as a means to improve its watertighness. [http://www.darse.org/article.php3?id_article=27 La Santa Anna] ]

Career

"Santa Anna" was launched in Nice on 21 December 1522, [http://www.darse.org/article.php3?id_article=27 La Santa Anna] ] one day before the Knights Hospitaller surrendered at the siege of Rhodes (1522) under honorable terms.

The underwater hull of "Santa Anna" was completely sheathed with lead plates. Above the waterline two of the six decks of the ship were also armoured with lead plates, which were fastened by bronze nails to the wooden ship hull. "Santa Anna" was designed to accommodate 500 marines besides the sailors and it featured below-deck large cabins and messes for its officers. The carrack housed a forge, where three weapon smithes could do maintenance work at sea. The ship even called several ovens and a windmill its own, in order to provide the crew with fresh bread. The ship also featured a garden on board with flowers hanging down from the stern gallery in boxes.Jochen Brennecke: "Geschichte der Schiffahrt", Künzelsau 1986 (2nd. ed.), p.138]

In 1535 "Santa Anna" took part in the successful campaign of the Spanish fleet under Charles V against Tunis, where the Spaniards managed to capture over 100 ships of the Maghrebinian corsairs. [Jochen Brennecke: "Geschichte der Schiffahrt", Künzelsau 1986 (2nd. ed.), p.144]

Temporarily, the carrack was also employed as a wheat freighter, with an impressive capacity of up to 900 tons. Only eighteen years after its launch, "Santa Anna" was decommissioned in 1540 on the order of grandmaster Juan d’Omedes.

Footnotes