nau·ti·cal : \ˈnȯ-ti-kəl, ˈnä-\ : adj : of, relating to, or associated with seamen, navigation, or ships
In 1890, a British gunner ship, the HMS Serpent, on its way to Sierra Leone ran into stormy weather on Galicia’s Costa da Morte. (Coast of Death)
On November 9th, due to a faulty compass, her navigation system failed. While the crew believed themselves to be more than ten miles clear of Cape Villano, they were actually sailing directly toward the dangerous rocks of Punta Bay. The ship ran aground on the Boy Rock, and eventually broke up and sank.
Only three sailors survived. They swam to shore and found their way to the village of Camarinas.
For weeks after, the townspeople collected bodies as they washed ashore and buried them in the sand on the beach. The final count of bodies recovered was 147, including the Commander of the ship. The townspeople enclosed the burial area with a low wall and added a memorial.
It is called “The English Cemetery”, and it sits on this remote, desolate, and utterly beautiful beach.