| Summary : 1639 wreck of Spanish warship which is said to have been fired and/or sunk in the Downs, after being intercepted by the Dutch in an action of the Eighty Years' War known as the Battle of the Downs (1582748). The battle, which took place on 11 October 1639, according to the Julian Calendar, or 21 October 1639 according to the Gregorian Calendar, was observed by the English from the castles of Deal (468386), Dover (467778) and Walmer (468409). For other Spanish ships lost or potentially lost in this engagement, please see: 1179072, 1179083, 1179087, 1329675, 1329695, 1329750, 1329755, 1329758, 1329769, 1329772, 1329775, 1329800, 1329807, 1329812, 1587795. For a Neapolitan ship fighting on the Spanish side, please see 1587801. For the Dutch vessels expended in the action, please see: 1179089 and 1587863, expended against the Portuguese flagship SANTA TERESA (1439232), and 1329644, expended against the SANTIAGO (1577795). For six Lübeckers which appear to have been inadvertently caught up in the action, please see: 1179051, 1329509, 1329519, 1329521, 1329525 and 1329545. |
More information : The third of seven vessels reported in source (4) as sunk in the Downs; the number of ships lost in the battle was disputed, and some appear to have been recovered; according to source (8) two sank in the Downs after stranding, and five sank in action. As it is not possible to map the names of the ships onto the vessels lost, except in a few instances, only those vessels and incidents described in some detail in English sources are recorded as lost, so as not to artificially inflate the number of Spanish ships wrecked as a result of the battle:
Primary Sources:
Oct 11 1639, Deal Castle 10am. Theophilus, Earl of Suffolk, to Sec. Windebank: At this instant the Spaniards and the Hollanders are in a bloody fight in the Downs. The Admiral of Holland began the fight . . . A few hours more will decide the particulars, and then you shall hear further from me. (1)
Oct 13 1639, Queen Street. Algernon, Earl of Northumberland, to Sir John Pennington: The report of the conflict between the Spaniards and the Hollanders is so various, some saying one thing, some another, that we know not what to give credit to. Capt. Hall saith, and likewise your relation, that there are 24 Spanish ships run on ground . . . the captain likewise says that there were 4 or 5 ships burnt and sunk; but others that were upon the ground say there was no such thing. Wherefore, for resolution of these doubts, I would have you speedily to acquaint yourself with the very truth of these accidents . . . (2)
Oct 13 1639, Dover 5pm. Theophilus, Earl of Suffolk, to Sec. Windebank: I am now again to let you know that the whole fleet of the Hollanders has returned from the chase . . . I sent one on board to learn the particulars from them of the Spaniards' defeat, and, in short, thus it is, that they are all absolutely defeated: some taken, some fired, some sunk . . . (3)
Oct 30 1639, Queen Street. Thomas Smith to Sir John Pennington . . . you might have avoided much trouble to yourself, my Lord, and me, had you at first acquainted his Lordship with the real state of the Spanish ships sunk. You wrote to my Lord of 24 ships sunk [sic], but you have given him an account of only 16, viz., 9 gone to Dunkirk and 7 sunk in the Downs, as upon perusal of your letter you will find . . . (4)
Oct [31] 1639. List of Spanish ships run ashore, or sunk, or burnt in the engagement with the Holland fleet. They number 25 . . . [Endorsed by Sir John Pennington] (5)
Transcribed from the published text, which retains the 17th century Scots spelling:
'Thus they continowd till October eleventh, lying within pistoll shott of other . . . And then immediatly Van Trompe charged the Spaniardes with canon and fyre shippes, so furiouslye as made them all cutt ther cables; and being fifty-three in number, twenty-three ran on shore and stranded in the Downes, whereof three wer burnt, two suncke, and two perished on the shore. One of thes was the gallion admirall of Gallitia, Don Andrea de Castro . . . [The remainder of the] twenty-three [that wer stranded, being deserted by the Spaniard] wer manned by the English, to save them from the Dutche. The other thirty, under the command of Oquendo, and Lopus, a Portuguese, went to sea in order, till, overtackne by a great fogge or miste, Van Trompe took the advauntage, and gott betuixt the two admiralls and ther fleete, and fought till the day cleard, at what tyme the admirall of Portugall began to burne, being fired by two Hollander shippes of warre. Oquendo perceiving this, sailed for Dunkirke, with the admirall of Dunkirke and some few shippes mor; the rest takne, eleven sent prisoners to Holland, three perished upon the coast of Fraunce, one neer Dover, fyve suncke in the fight, and only ten escaped of the admiralls threttye saile . . . This short relatione I have, not only from the English wrytters, but lykewayes from eye witnesses, who wer at that tyme upon the Hollands fleete in the actione, as also from such as wer eye witnesses in Holland to ther prisoners coming ther.' (8)
Secondary Sources:
Source (3) refers to 24 Spanish ships which had run ashore, (5) to 25, and (8) to 23. A list of 24 names of ships from the Spanish fleet which had undergone some form of wrecking event on the English side of the Channel is given in source (6): most of which had been driven ashore, some of which had subsequently been recovered, and others lost by other means. This confusion is typical of vessels recorded as lost in action. However, except in a couple of cases, it is not possible to specifically identify them by name. The list is therefore quoted below without attribution. (7)
SAN ANTONIO, pinnace, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN AGUSTIN, pinnace, driven ashore 11/21 October
SANTA TERESA, 60, Portugal, Don Lopes de Hoces, commander, destroyed in action 11/21 October
SAN AGUSTIN, Naples, Vice-Admiral, Driven ashore 11/21 October, sunk 3 or 4 days later
SANTA CATALINA, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN BLAS, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN JERONIMO, burnt in the Downs 11/21 October
SANTIAGO, burnt off Dover 13/23 October
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, sunk 11/21 October
LOS ANGELES, driven ashore 11/21 October
SANTIAGO, Portugal, driven ashore 11/21 October
DELFIN DORADO, Naples, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN ANTONIO, Naples, driven ashore 11/21 October
EL PINGUE (hired) sunk in the Downs 11/21 October
ORFEO, Naples, lost on the Goodwin Sands 11/21 October
SANTO TOMAS, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN CARLOS, sunk 11/21 October
SANTO DOMINGO DE POLONIA, hired Polish ship, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN PEDRO MARTIR, hired, driven ashore 11/21 October
FAMA, hired, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN DANIEL, driven ashore 11/21 October
SAN JUAN EVANGELISTA, Hamburg, hired, driven ashore 11/21 October
SANTA AGNES, Naples, stranded but got off, 14/24 October
GRUNE, driven ashore 11/21 October (6)
Owner: Spanish Navy [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss |