Shipwrecks in the Azores and Global Navigation (Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries): An Overview

The strategic importance of the Azores Islands resulted in the formation of a vast post-medieval underwater cultural heritage, consisting of shipwrecks and anchorages. This paper will discuss the scientific potential of this heritage through a presentation of the main shipwreck sites, specifically focusing on two historic ports of the archipelago’s central group where archaeological activity has been particularly intense: Angra, on Terceira Island, and Horta, on Fayal Island. The former was the main port of call for Portuguese and Spanish navigation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; the latter was an important Atlantic port for British navigation from the end of the seventeenth century onward and for American fleets during the nineteenth century.