Santa Maria de Visón (de Biscione)
{{short description|Merchantman ship in the Spanish armada}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= |Ship caption= }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Spain |Ship flag=File:Flag of Spain (1760–1785).svg |Ship name=Santa Maria de Vison |Ship ordered= |Ship builder=Ragusa |Ship laid down= |Ship launched= |Ship acquired=Requisitioned for Armada 6 May 1587 at Naples |Ship commissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship honours= |Ship captured= |Ship fate=Wrecked 22 September 1588 |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class=Carrack |Ship tons burthen=666 tons |Ship length= |Ship beam= |Ship draught= |Ship hold depth= |Ship sail plan=Full-rigged ship |Ship propulsion=Sails |Ship complement=70 sailors |Ship armament=18 guns of various weights of shot |Ship notes= }} |
The Santa Maria de Vison was a Mediterranean merchantman built in Ragusa and requisitioned in 1587 for service in the Armada of 1588. She was a large carrack and displaced 666 tons and carried 18 guns.
Armada service
She was part of the Levant squadron, a unit made up of mainly heavy transports carrying equipment and soldiers for the land invasion of England. Only one of the Levant squadron made it back to Spain. During the voyage half the fleets medical supplies were transferred to this ship after the La Paz became unseaworthy.
Wreck
She was wrecked during a storm on 22 September 1588 of the coast of Cairbre Drom Cliabh (now county Sligo) on a sandbank off Streedagh strand. Her wreck was discovered in 1985 by an English salvage team.{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S1057-2414(99)80050-8 |title=La Lavia, La Juliana and the Santa María de Vison: three Spanish Armada transports lost off Streedagh Strand, Co Sligo: an interim report |journal=The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=265–276 |year=1999 |last1=Birch |first1=Steven |last2=McElvogue |first2=D. M. }} The wreck is protected under the National Monuments (Amendment) Acts 1987 and 1994.