September 27, 1588 - The Shipwreck of The El Gran Grifón

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we’re heading back to the windswept shores of Fair Isle, Shetland, where, on the 27th of September 1588, a dramatic chapter in the Spanish Armada’s ill-fated campaign came to a tragic end. On this day, the Spanish ship El Gran Grifón, battered and broken by storms, was wrecked on the rocky shores of Fair Isle, marking a key moment in Scotland's involvement in this epic European conflict.
El Gran Grifón was no ordinary ship. As the flagship of the Spanish Armada’s supply squadron, she was a mighty 650-ton, 38-gun vessel. But she wasn’t originally built in Spain - she was, in fact, a Baltic hulk, constructed in Rostock, in what is now modern-day Germany. These hulks were chartered to support the Spanish Armada's massive campaign to invade England in 1588. Commanded by Juan Gómez de Medina, she played a crucial role in the supply chain for the Armada’s fleet. However, her story would take a sharp turn as the Armada's campaign went disastrously wrong.
The Gran Grifón’s troubles began early in the campaign. She was damaged during an encounter with the English ship Revenge in the Channel. Though she somehow managed to escape into the North Sea, it was clear that she was in serious trouble. Leaking and struggling to stay afloat, she, along with other ships of the Armada, found herself pushed north by violent storms, separated from the main fleet, and forced into treacherous waters.
As the Armada fought to survive, the Gran Grifón found herself caught in a series of strong storms, which drove her and two other ships, the Barca de Amburgo and the Trinidad Valencera, northwards. While the Barca de Amburgo foundered nearby, its crew split between the Gran Grifón and the Trinidad Valencera. The added strain on the Gran Grifón, now carrying 43 crew members and 234 soldiers, was immense.
By September, the ships had been battling the elements for weeks, crossing between Norway and Scotland’s Northern Isles. After one last fierce storm, the Gran Grifón limped towards Fair Isle, desperate for shelter and repairs. On the 27th of September, she anchored at Swartz Geo, but the elements were unforgiving. The tide drove the ship ashore, and she was wrecked on the unforgiving rocks of Stroms Hellier.
Despite the violence of the wreck, all of the crew and soldiers made it ashore. But their troubles were far from over. Stranded on Fair Isle, isolated from the rest of the world, they faced the harsh Shetland autumn. With little in the way of supplies, they endured two long months of exposure and starvation. Fair Isle’s remote location meant that it was some time before Andrew Umphray, the island’s owner, heard of their plight. Once he did, he brought Juan Gómez de Medina to the Shetland mainland, where he stayed with Malcolm Sinclair of Quendale.
Many of the survivors eventually made their way to Orkney, where they would become known locally as the “Westray Dons,” a nod to their Spanish origins. Others continued on to St Andrews and Edinburgh, but for some, the ordeal was far from over. Of the nearly 300 survivors from the Gran Grifón, 50 had already died on Fair Isle from their wounds, starvation, or exposure. They were buried in what became known as the “Spaniards' Grave,” a somber reminder of the men who died far from home.
The remaining survivors faced a perilous journey back to Spain. In a cruel twist of fate, their ship was attacked by Dutch gunboats, which had been alerted by the English Navy, despite Queen Elizabeth’s assurances that the survivors would not be harassed by English forces. Half of those on board were killed in the attack.
Centuries later, the wreck of El Gran Grifón was rediscovered and excavated by Colin Martin and Sydney Wignall in 1970, shedding new light on the ship’s story. In 1984, a delegation from Spain traveled to Fair Isle to pay tribute to the fallen sailors, planting an iron cross in the island’s cemetery in remembrance of those who had died so far from home.
The wreck of El Gran Grifón is more than just a footnote in the history of the Spanish Armada. It serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the perilous journeys that sailors of the time faced. Today, as we remember the events of the 27th of September 1588, we honor the legacy of those who perished in the waters off Fair Isle, and the deep historical connections between Scotland and Europe that continue to this day.
Thank you for joining us on this episode of This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald. Until next time, Haste Ye Back!
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