On 26 September 1588 La Trinidad Valencera finally sank in Kinnegoe Bay Donegal, off the north coast of Ireland. It had been damaged by violent storms around the north coast of Scotland and Ireland and took two days to sink.

As the ship broke up around 40 men were drowned but most of the men on board managed to get to shore safely. They were met by a the Irish chieftain of the area Sir John O’Doherty who agreed to help them and sent them on their way to the Bishop of Derry’s castle at Elagh.

However the English heard of their arrival and sent a force of mounted troops to capture the Spanish. The Spanish then surrendered to the English on the promise of fair treatment. The English however did not keep their word. The Spanish were later stripped naked and herded into a field and shot. Around 300 men died and others managed to escape.

Some survivors were led to safety possibly at Enagh Lough or Inch where they took a ship to Scotland and eventually made it back to Spain. It is estimated that only a third of the Armada ships actually made it back to Spain with approximately 5,250 men drowned at sea or killed by English forces

On 20 February 1971 383 years later a group of divers from the City of Derry Sub-Aqua Club set off on a dive of Kinnegoe Bay. Divers had been searching for the wreck of La Trinidad Valencera in the bayfor many years with no success.

On this particular cold winter’s day the divers decided to dive on the west side of the bay rather than carry all their diving equipment to the other side. It was usual to dive on the east side, as this is where the ship was supposed to have sunk. This was to be a momentous decision.