Santa Luzia (galleon)

Santa Luzia was a 30-gun and 360-tonne Portuguese galleon, known for defeating a Dutch squadron single-handedly twice in 1650.[1][2][3][4]

The galleon "Santa Luzia", by Alberto Cutileiro.
History
Portugal
NameSanta Luzia
NamesakeSaint Lucy
General characteristics
TypeGalleon
Tons burthen360 tonnes
Armament30 guns

Service history

Santa Luzia was probably built for the General Company of Brazil.[2]

On 21 February 1650, off Cape St. Augustine, Santa Luzia, under the command of Bernardo Ramires Esquível, was attacked by a squadron of nine Dutch ships, under the command of Caspar Govertsz Cop.[1][3][4] Santa Luzia defended himself with a violent artillery duel, that lasted until the night.[1][3][4] After the combat, Santa Luzia anchored near the coast, in order to take care of the wounded and repair the damage suffered.[1][3][4]

On 22 February, in the morning, the combat returned. Maneuvering ably, Esquível didn't cease fire on the Dutch ships that dared to approach Santa Luzia, causing a lot of damage and casualties.[1][3][4] Possibly because they didn't have enough soldiers, the Dutch ships didn't attempt to board Santa Luzia.[3] By the mid-afternoon, having come to the conclusion that Santa Luzia was impossible to defeat, Cop put an end to the fight by retreating to the north.[1][3][4]

Santa Luzia's fate after this is unknown.[2]

References

Citations
  1. Fonseca, Henrique Alexandre da (September 1978). "Os Esquíveis: Dois Notáveis Oficiais da Armada" (PDF). Revista da Armada: 308–311.
  2. Esparteiro 1976, p. 4.
  3. Saturnino Monteiro 1996, p. 293.
  4. Donato 1996, p. 223.

Bibliography
  • Esparteiro, António Marques (1976). Catálogo dos Navios Brigantinos (PDF) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Centro de Estudos da Marinha.
  • Saturnino Monteiro, Armando da Silva (1996). Batalhas e Combates da Marinha Portuguesa (PDF) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Livraria Sá da Costa.
  • Donato, Hernâni (1996). Dicionário das Batalhas Brasileiras (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Instituição Brasileira de Difusão Cultural.
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