1702

The year 1702 marks the historical backdrop for one of the most significant episodes in Captain Nemo's secret life: the Battle of Vigo Bay. During the War of the Spanish Succession, a Spanish treasure fleet carrying gold and silver from America was scuttled in the bay to prevent its capture by allied English and Dutch forces. More than a century and a half later, Captain Nemo uses the Nautilus to recover these sunken millions, revealing both his immense wealth and his philanthropic motives.

Historical Background and the Battle

In 1702, King Louis XIV of France placed his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, on the Spanish throne as King Philip V, provoking a war with a grand alliance of Holland, Austria, and England. Spain, lacking a strong army or navy, relied on treasure galleons from America to fund its war effort. Late that year, a rich convoy escorted by a French fleet under Admiral de Chateau-Renault sought refuge in the Bay of Vigo on Spain's northwest coast. The Spanish commanders insisted on a Spanish port, and the indecisive admiral complied. A dispute with Cadiz merchants over unloading rights, backed by an order from King Philip V, kept the treasure aboard the galleons. On October 22, 1702, the allied fleet arrived. Outnumbered, Admiral de Chateau-Renault fought courageously but, seeing the treasure about to fall into enemy hands, burned and scuttled the galleons, sending their immense wealth to the bottom of the bay.

Captain Nemo's Discovery and Harvest

Captain Nemo reveals this history to Professor Aronnax during a pivotal moment in the Nautilus's voyage. After emerging from the Strait of Gibraltar, the Nautilus enters the Bay of Vigo, and Nemo invites Aronnax to witness the scene. Through the lounge windows, Aronnax sees the Nautilus's crew, dressed in diving suits, clearing away half-rotted barrels and disemboweled trunks among the sunken hulks. Ingots of gold and silver, cascades of jewels, and pieces of eight spill across the sandy bottom. The men load these valuable spoils into the Nautilus, returning to resume their inexhaustible fishing for silver and gold. Nemo explains that he has only to pick up what other men have lost, not only in this bay but at a thousand other sites marked on his underwater chart, making him rich to the tune of billions.

The Revelation of Nemo's Philanthropy

When Aronnax suggests that this treasure would be better used to benefit the thousands of unfortunate people who would have profited from a fair distribution, Nemo reacts with unexpected passion. He asks what makes Aronnax assume the wealth goes to waste, and whether he thinks Nemo toils out of selfishness. Nemo demands to know if Aronnax believes he is unaware of the suffering beings and oppressed races living on this earth, poor people to comfort, and victims to avenge. He stops short, but Aronnax understands: whatever motives drove Nemo to seek independence under the seas, he remains a human being before all else, his heart still throbbing for suffering humanity. This revelation connects directly to the earlier scene in the Greek Islands, where Nemo delivered a chest of gold ingots to a diver from Cape Matapan, confirming that his immense philanthropy goes out to downtrodden races and individuals.