Two ship cannons recovered in the Port of Cala Ratjada

The Port of Cala Ratjada, managed by PortsIB and under the protection of the Sea Council and Water Cycle, has been the scene of a significant archaeological extraction. The operation, fruit of the collaboration between the Consell de Mallorca and the Guardia Civil, has allowed the extraction of two ship cannons, pieces that will be analyzed and studied to determine their origin and age.

The recovered cannons, approximately 2.5 meters long and weighing an estimated 1,000 kilos each, are suspected to date from between the 18th and early 19th centuries. The exact provenance of these pieces is still a mystery, with possibilities ranging from Spain to Holland or France.

The operation has been carried out in the port area of the Port of Cala Ratjada, highlighting the participation of PortsIB in the logistics and coordination in the field.

The discovery of these archaeological pieces is not recent, being known for years, since it was said that there was a shipwreck at Cala Gat. but it was in 2021 when the Underwater Activities Unit of the Guardia Civil, G.E.A.S., conducted a specific dive that documented the presence of these two cannons, suggesting the possible existence of more remains in the area of Cala Gat.

Given the visibility and accessibility of the cannons on the sandbank, and in order to prevent looting actions, they have been extracted as a preventive measure, since the wreck was uncovered as a result of a meteorological storm and could be covered again in the same way. The cannons will be deposited in the Museum of Mallorca, where technicians specialized in heritage of the insular institution will carry out their detailed study, to clarify their origin and date. Once the pieces are historically located, they will be made available to the public.