During the first encounter with the English fleet on 31 July 1588, during a lull in battle, San Salvador's gunpowder magazine exploded, lighting a portion of the ship on fire.

[3] The English dispatched an inspection party to San Salvador and found approximately fifty burnt bodies aboard.

[5] These are the only numbers available for calibration of the reported vessel tonnage between the two fleets (the Spanish tended to give higher ratings).

[5] Between San Salvador and Rosario (another ship captured during the first encounter), the English retrieved a significant amount of cannon shot and powder.

[7] A wreck discovered in 1983 in Studland Bay was initially believed to be the San Salvador but is now thought to be a Spanish merchant ship, Santa Maria de Luce.