Action of 30 October 1762

The Action of 30 October 1762 was a minor naval battle that was fought in the San Bernardino Strait off the coast off British occupied Manila in the Philippines 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.

Action of 30 October 1762
Part of the Anglo-Spanish War (1762–63)
Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Bt, George Romney
Date 30 October 1762 Location Off Cavite, Pacific Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Hyde Parker Richard King	Unknown
Strength
1 ship of the line 1 frigate	1 galleon
Casualties and losses
35 killed 37 wounded[1]	18 killed 10 wounded 750 captured 1 galleon captured[1]

Background

The Santisima Trinidad was a large ship constructed in 1750 at Manila of 60 guns and at the time the largest Manila galleon 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 in the Spanish Philippines for Acapulco in Spanish Mexico with a cargo of valuables. However, due to contrary winds she never left the San Bernardino Strait until late September. On the night of 2–3 October a storm, possibly the tail end of a typhoon, brought down the fore and mainmasts and it was decided to turn back to Cavite under a jury rig. Unbeknown to the ships 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 Indian Company task force from India had thus captured Manila just as the Trinidad had left port.[2]

Battle

As Trinidad passed through the San Bernardino Strait, 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 very little impression on the galleon's hardwood. However, Trinidad was soon disabled and unable to manoeuvre was left a dismasted wreck. Despite this, Trinidad managed to put up stout resistance and continued for a total of 2 hours but the ship was overcrowded for its size of nearly 800 crew, marines, civilians and its large cargo. It had in fact less than half the guns required to fight.[2] Soon the Spanish commander realised that any further resistance was futile and surrendered soon after. The cost for the Spanish was 18 killed and 10 wounded and 750 captured while British casualties were 35 killed and 37 wounded.[1]

Aftermath

The cargo was valued at $1.5 million and the ship at $3 million.[3] The galleon was eventually broken up for scrap.[3]

See also

• Great Britain in the Seven Years War

References

1. Fish, p 216-217
2. Paine p 160
3. Tracy, Nicholas (1995). Manila Ransomed. University of Exeter Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 0859894266.

Bibliography

Fish, Shirley (2011). The Manila-Acapulco Galleons: The Treasure Ships of the Pacific With an Annotated List of the Transpacific Galleons 1565-1815. Authorhouse. ISBN 978-1-4567-7542-1.

Paine, Lincoln P. (2001). Warships of the world to 1900. Houghton Miffin. ISBN 978-0-395-98414-7.

Tracy, Nicholas (1995). Manila Ransomed. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 0859894266.