Legend has it that the wreck of a Spanish
galleon, laden with gold, lies somewhere in the mud at the bottom of Tobermory Bay—although the ship's true identity, and cargo, are in dispute. By some accounts, the
Florencia (or
Florida, or
San Francisco), a member of the defeated
Spanish Armada fleeing the English fleet in 1588, anchored in Tobermory to take on provisions. Following a dispute over payment (or possibly, according to local folklore, a spell cast by the witch
Dòideag), the ship caught fire and the gunpowder
magazine exploded, sinking the vessel. In her hold, reputedly, was £300,000 worth of
gold bullion. Other sources claim the vessel was the
San Juan de Sicilia (or
San Juan de Baptista), which, records indicate, carried troops, not treasure. Whatever the true story, no significant treasure has ever been recovered in Tobermory Bay. Seventeenth-century efforts to salvage the treasure are well-documented. The
Duke of Lennox gifted rights to Spanish wrecks near Tobermory to the
Marquess of Argyll. In 1666, his son the
Earl of Argyll engaged James Maule of Melgum to use
diving bells to find treasure, and recover the valuable brass cannon. Maule had learnt diving in Sweden, but raised only two brass guns and an iron cannon, and left after three months. It was later said he had hoped to return, thinking he was the only expert diver. Argyll however raised six cannon by workmen under his direction, and next employed John Saint Clare, or Sinclair, son of the minister of
Ormiston, in 1676 and a German sub-contractor Hans Albricht van Treileben, who had worked on the wreck of the
Vasa. The next year, the earl transferred the rights to Captain Adolpho E. Smith and Treileben. At this period the fore-part of the wreck was visible above water, and was called the
Admiral of Florence. The project was beset with difficulties in 1678; the Admiralty disputed Argyll's rights to the wreck. Captain Adolpho Smith refused to return the diving equipment to William Campbell, captain of the earl's frigate, the
Anna of Argyll. The McLean clan fought the divers on land at Tobermory, led by Hector McLean, brother of Lachlan McLean of Torloisk. The largest attempt made to locate the galleon was in 1950 when
the then Duke of Argyll signed a contract with the
British Admiralty to locate the galleon. Nothing came of the attempt, apart from the development of equipment still used today to locate ancient sunk vessels. Owing to similarities in sailing conditions, in the mid-1800s emigrant sailors created the community of
Tobermory in
Ontario, Canada. This namesake town has twin harbours, known locally as "Big Tub" and "Little Tub", which sheltered ships from the severe storms of
Lake Huron. During the
Second World War, Tobermory was home to the
Royal Navy training base
HMS Western Isles, under the command of the legendary
Vice admiral Sir
Gilbert Stephenson, the so-called "Terror of Tobermory". His biography was written by broadcaster
Richard Baker, who trained under him. == Demographics ==