The action of 30 October 1762 was a minor naval battle that was fought in the
San Bernardino Strait
The San Bernardino Strait () is a strait in the Philippines, connecting the Samar Sea with the Philippine Sea. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon from Samar (island), Samar of Visayas.
History
During an ill-fated expedition, only one ship ...
off the coast of
British-occupied Manila in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
between two Royal Navy ships and a Spanish ship; the 60 gun ship of the line
HMS ''Panther'' under Captain
Hyde Parker and the frigate
HMS ''Argo'' under
Richard King captured the heavily armed Spanish
treasure galleon ''Santisima Trinidad''.
Background
The ''Santisima Trinidad'' was a large ship constructed in 1750 at
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
with 60 guns and, at the time, the largest
Manila galleon
The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spain, Spanish trading Sailing ship, ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year betwe ...
ever built. It was built for trade in the Pacific between the Spanish colonies. On 3 September 1762, the ''Trinidad'' departed the port of
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
in the Spanish Philippines for
Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
in
Spanish Mexico with a cargo of valuables. However, she never left the San Bernardino Strait until late September due to contrary winds. On the night of 2–3 October, a storm, possibly the tail end of a
typhoon
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
, brought down the fore and mainmasts, and it was decided to turn back to Cavite under a
jury rig
In maritime transport and sailing, jury rigging or jury-rigging is making temporary makeshift running repairs with only the tools and materials on board. It originates from sail-powered boats and ships. Jury-rigging can be applied to any part o ...
. Unbeknownst to the ship's company, Spain and Great Britain were at war, as Spain had joined on the side of the French. As a result, a British and
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
task force from India had thus
captured Manila just as the ''Trinidad'' had left port.
[Paine p. 160]
Battle
As ''Trinidad'' passed through the
San Bernardino Strait
The San Bernardino Strait () is a strait in the Philippines, connecting the Samar Sea with the Philippine Sea. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon from Samar (island), Samar of Visayas.
History
During an ill-fated expedition, only one ship ...
, HMS ''Panther'' and HMS ''Argo'' soon discovered her and caught up with the Spanish ship. An action followed with ''Argo'' and ''Panther'' concentrating their fire on the masts and rigging. To Parker's amazement, the shots from ''Panther'' made a minimal impression on the galleon's hardwood hull. However, ''Trinidad'' was soon disabled and unable to manoeuvre as the opening gun battle left its rigging a dismasted wreck. Despite this, ''Trinidad'' managed to put up a stout resistance and continued for 2 hours, but the ship was overcrowded for its size of nearly 800 crew, marines, civilians, and large cargo. It had fewer than half the guns required to fight.
Soon, the Spanish commander realised that any further resistance was futile and surrendered soon after. The human cost for the Spanish was 18 killed, 10 wounded, and 750 captured, while British casualties were 35 killed and 37 wounded.
Aftermath
The cargo was valued at $1.5 million, and the ship at $3 million.
The galleon was eventually broken up for scrap.
See also
*
Great Britain in the Seven Years War
Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War, which for Britain in fact lasted nine years, between 1754 and 1763. British involvement in the conflict began in 1754 in what became known as the French and Indian War. H ...
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Action of 30 October 1762
Conflicts in 1762
British invasion of Manila
Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763)
Naval battles of the Seven Years' War involving Great Britain
Naval battles of the Seven Years' War involving Spain