Santo Antonio de Tanna

Santo Antonio de Tanna was a Portuguese India fleet’s frigate that sank October 20, 1697, in front of Fort Jesus at Mombasa after it had been under attack from the Omanis occupying Fort Jesus at the time.

Two divers found the wreck, at a depth of 15 to 17 meters, in the 1960s and notified the discovery to the Fort Jesus Museum curator. Archaeological excavations were conducted by local divers first and then by the Nautical Archaeology Society (1976-1980). The identity of the shipwreck was determined because of its bow for which the description was known. For each of the four excavation’s seasons a technical report has been published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Finally, more than 15,000 artefacts were found and indexed.

The Santo Antonio de Tanna Wreck was registered in 1977 as a national monument by the Kenyan Parliament.