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Richard Fontánez: ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR STEAMER ANTONIO LOPEZ (Under the direction of Dr. Timothy Runyan) Department of History, May 2001
This thesis presents the results of archaeological and historical research on the Spanish steamer Antonio López carried out during summer 1997. The Antonio Lópezis one of the few vessels sunkduring the Spanish-American War that has been archaeologically investigated. It was built in 1881 by William Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton, Scotland, for the Compañía Transatlántica Española. Antonio López was an early steel-hull ship and the first vessel in the Spanish merchant marine with a complete electrical lighting system. In the 1890's the Compañía Transatlántica Española was the most important steamship line in Spain. When war broke out between the United Statesand Spain in 1898, the Antonio López was commissioned to patrol the South Atlantic as an auxiliary cruiser. In June 1898, Antonio López was disarmed and loaded with military supplies for the Spanish forces in Puerto Rico. At that time Puerto Rico was under an American blockade. Due to the war blackout, the ship’s crew could not locate the entrance to the harbor and sailed west along the coast a few miles before realizing their mistake and turning around. On the morning of June 28 the USS Yosemite sighted the Antonio López and opened fire. The Spanish steamer quickly turned toward shore seeking safety and grounded in shallow water six miles west of San Juan. All the cargo, except one cannon, was subsequently salvaged. On July 15, the Yosemite was relieved by the protected cruiser USS New Orleans, which shelled the Antonio López. The Spanish steamer burned for three days. In 1993 the State Historic Preservation Office nominated the steamer Antonio López tothe National Register of Historic Places. Four years later, in 1997, under the author’s direction, the remains of the Antonio López were documented as part of an archaeological and environmental study. That research was funded by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico.
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