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Wager's Action
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Wager's Action
Wager's Action was a naval confrontation on 8 June 1708 N.S. (28 May O.S.), between a British squadron under Charles Wager and the Spanish treasure fleet, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. The battle ended in a British victory over the Spanish fleet.
In the spring of 1708 Charles Wager was on an expedition in the Caribbean with a squadron of four ships:
In April the squadron took in supplies on the small island of Pequeña Barú, part of the Rosario Islands, just 30 miles away from Cartagena. Here the Spanish were aware of their presence, and the governor of Cartagena sent warnings to the Spanish fleet, which was anchored in Portobelo, Colón.
Nevertheless, the commander of the treasure fleet, José Fernández de Santillán, decided to sail from Portobelo to Cartagena on 28 May. He could not wait much longer as the hurricane season was approaching and the rest of the fleet, plus their escort under Jean-Baptiste du Casse were waiting in Havana and threatened to leave without him.
The Spanish fleet was composed of fourteen merchant ships, a lightly armed hulk, and three escorting galleons:
The gold and silver were concentrated on the 3 largest vessels. The San José had 7 to 11 million pesos on board, and the San Joaquín 5 million.[citation needed] The Santa Cruz had the rest, only a fraction of the other two ships.[citation needed]
The Spanish fleet reached Isla de Barú on the evening of 7 June and anchored there. The next day there was very little wind, and around 3 p.m. they noticed Wager's squadron approaching. The Spanish took up defensive positions, but the British knew they had to attack the largest ships, because they had the most money on board. The Kingston attacked the San Joaquín around 5 p.m. which, after two hours of battle, escaped into the night with the help of the Concepción. The Expedition attacked the San José and approached the vessel with the clear intention of boarding the ship. Around 7 p.m., after an hour and a half of fierce fighting and with only 60 meters between the two ships, the San José suddenly blew up. The ship sank immediately, taking its precious cargo and almost the entire crew to the bottom of the sea. There were only 11 survivors out of the 600 crew and passengers on board; José Fernández de Santillán went down with his ship.
By now it was dark, but there was a full moon and Wager succeeded in finding the Santa Cruz at 2 a.m. After a brief fight, which left 14 British and 90 Spanish dead, the Santa Cruz was taken; however, she had no government treasure in her - only 13 chests of pieces of eight and 14 pigs of silver which seem to have been private property. At dawn, the British discovered the San Joaquín, and Wager ordered the Kingston and Portland to capture the ship. After a few salvos, however, the San Joaquín successfully made way towards Cartagena harbour, and the British decided against following them. The rest of the Spanish fleet also reached Cartagena safely, except the hulk Concepción which, cornered by the British, beached itself on Baru Island where the crew set the ship alight.
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Wager's Action
Wager's Action was a naval confrontation on 8 June 1708 N.S. (28 May O.S.), between a British squadron under Charles Wager and the Spanish treasure fleet, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. The battle ended in a British victory over the Spanish fleet.
In the spring of 1708 Charles Wager was on an expedition in the Caribbean with a squadron of four ships:
In April the squadron took in supplies on the small island of Pequeña Barú, part of the Rosario Islands, just 30 miles away from Cartagena. Here the Spanish were aware of their presence, and the governor of Cartagena sent warnings to the Spanish fleet, which was anchored in Portobelo, Colón.
Nevertheless, the commander of the treasure fleet, José Fernández de Santillán, decided to sail from Portobelo to Cartagena on 28 May. He could not wait much longer as the hurricane season was approaching and the rest of the fleet, plus their escort under Jean-Baptiste du Casse were waiting in Havana and threatened to leave without him.
The Spanish fleet was composed of fourteen merchant ships, a lightly armed hulk, and three escorting galleons:
The gold and silver were concentrated on the 3 largest vessels. The San José had 7 to 11 million pesos on board, and the San Joaquín 5 million.[citation needed] The Santa Cruz had the rest, only a fraction of the other two ships.[citation needed]
The Spanish fleet reached Isla de Barú on the evening of 7 June and anchored there. The next day there was very little wind, and around 3 p.m. they noticed Wager's squadron approaching. The Spanish took up defensive positions, but the British knew they had to attack the largest ships, because they had the most money on board. The Kingston attacked the San Joaquín around 5 p.m. which, after two hours of battle, escaped into the night with the help of the Concepción. The Expedition attacked the San José and approached the vessel with the clear intention of boarding the ship. Around 7 p.m., after an hour and a half of fierce fighting and with only 60 meters between the two ships, the San José suddenly blew up. The ship sank immediately, taking its precious cargo and almost the entire crew to the bottom of the sea. There were only 11 survivors out of the 600 crew and passengers on board; José Fernández de Santillán went down with his ship.
By now it was dark, but there was a full moon and Wager succeeded in finding the Santa Cruz at 2 a.m. After a brief fight, which left 14 British and 90 Spanish dead, the Santa Cruz was taken; however, she had no government treasure in her - only 13 chests of pieces of eight and 14 pigs of silver which seem to have been private property. At dawn, the British discovered the San Joaquín, and Wager ordered the Kingston and Portland to capture the ship. After a few salvos, however, the San Joaquín successfully made way towards Cartagena harbour, and the British decided against following them. The rest of the Spanish fleet also reached Cartagena safely, except the hulk Concepción which, cornered by the British, beached itself on Baru Island where the crew set the ship alight.
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