Battle of La Guaira
Encyclopedia
- This battle should not be confused with the Battle of La GuairaBattle of La Guaira (1812)The Battle of La Guaira was a naval engagement fought in the West Indies on December 11 of 1812 during the war between Britain and the United States. An American privateer captured a British privateer at the Spanish port of La Guaira in Venezuela.-Battle:...
in 1812.
The Battle of La Guaira or La Guayra, took place on 2 March 1743 in the Caribbean, off the coast of La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, present day Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. A British expeditionary fleet under Sir Charles Knowles was defeated, and the expedition ended in failure. 400 men were killed and wounded, among whom was the captain of the Burford
HMS Burford (1722)
HMS Burford was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 19 July 1722...
, and many of the ships were badly damaged or lost. Sir Charles was therefore unable to proceed to Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
until he had refitted.
Background
The British AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
had decided to prosecute the war against the Spanish settlements, though on a different scale from that of the great expeditions of 1741 and 1742.
Sir Chaloner Ogle
Chaloner Ogle
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle was a British naval commander during the War of the Austrian Succession.-Naval career:Born the son of John Ogle, a Newcastle barrister, Ogle came from the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland...
, who had replaced Admiral Edward Vernon
Edward Vernon
Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. Vernon was born in Westminster, England and went to Westminster School. He joined the Navy in 1700 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1702 and served on several different ships for the next five years...
after the defeat at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias
Battle of Cartagena de Indias
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was an amphibious military engagement between the forces of Britain under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon and those of Spain under Admiral Blas de Lezo. It took place at the city of Cartagena de Indias in March 1741, in present-day Colombia...
in 1741, prepared an invasion of another important commercial port on the Spanish Main
Spanish Main
In the days of the Spanish New World Empire, the mainland of the American continent enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico was referred to as the Spanish Main. It included present-day Florida, the east shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Mexico, Central America and the north coast of...
. Believing La Guaira to be not well defended, Sir Chaloner Ogle wanted to take advantage and attack. On 22 February 1743, Sir Charles Knowles sailed from the island of Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
with 19 ships:
HMS Suffolk
HMS Suffolk (1680)
HMS Suffolk was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by contract of 20 February 1678 by Sir Henry Johnson at his Blackwall Yard and launched in May 1680...
70 gun third-rate
HMS Burford
HMS Burford (1722)
HMS Burford was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard to the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 19 July 1722...
70 gun third-rate
HMS Norwich
HMS Norwich (1693)
HMS Norwich was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford in 1693.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Chatham Dockyard, relaunching on 20 May 1718. In 1744 she was reduced to a fifth rate and renamed HMS Enterprise...
50 gun fourth-rate
HMS Advice
HMS Advice (1712)
HMS Advice was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Sir Joseph Allin according to the 1706 Establishment of dimensions at Deptford Dockyard, and launched on 8 July 1712....
50 gun fourth-rate
HMS Assistance
HMS Assistance (1650)
HMS Assistance was a 40-gun fourth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Deptford, and launched in 1650. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 48 guns....
50 gun fourth-rate
HMS Eltham 40 gun fifth-rate
HMS Scarborough 24 gun sixth-rate
HMS Lively 20 gun sixth-rate
HMS Otter 14 gun
sloop
HMS Comet 8 gun bomb vessel (flagship)
Two Transport ships with 400 militia under Colonel Dalzell
Seven other ships
Knowles underestimated the defences of La Guaira, believing it to be less well defended than Cartagena de Indias had been. He arrived at La Tortuga
La Tortuga Island
La Tortuga Island is an uninhabited island dependent on the government of Venezuela. It is part of a chain of islands that include the Tortuguillas, the Palaquines, and others. Has an area of 156 km²-History:...
island on 27 February. It is said that the Spaniards had two months warning of the attack; whether this be true or not cannot definitely be stated.
Battle
At first light of the day, Knowles' squadron was 15 miles (24.1 km) east of the port of La Guaira and the Otter was sent ahead to reconnoitre the inner harbour. Spanish lookouts lit signal fires at 6:30 A.M., alerting the Spanish at both La GuairaLa Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
and bringing Governor de Zuloaga 25 miles (40.2 km) down to the coast with a large body of militia that had been recruited from Colonel Dalzell's regiment in the West Indies.
The commander of the Spanish garrison Mateo Gual and Captain José Iturriaga prepared for an impending assault. About midday HMS Burford stood into the roadstead, followed by Eltham, Norwich, Suffolk, Advice and Assistance. Despite the hail of rounds from six batteries the English men-of-war anchored in a double line by 1:00 P.M. and began a furious exchange. The Spanish counterfire proved unexpectedly heavy and accurate and this combined with a heavy swell prevented any British disembarkation. The Spanish had been forewarned of Knowles's intentions to capture La Guaira.
After three and a half hours, Burford cut the anchor cable and moved out of range; the frigate Eltham had also been damaged. Both accidentally ran afoul of Norwich, and all three ships left the action, reducing Knowles's overall effort.
Shooting ceased at sundown, around 8:00 P.M, with the battered Burford seeking shelter to leeward, escorted by Norwich, Otter, and Assistance which could not anchor. The English resumed a rather desultorily bombardment at dawn the following day with the bomb vessel Comet. De Zuloaga was obliged to return to his capital on 4 March to reassure an uneasy populace that the enemy had not come ashore.
At 3:00 A.M on 5 March Knowles sent boat parties into La Guaira's roadstead, they boarded a French merchantman before being discovered and driven off.