| Action of San Mateo Bay | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAnglo–Spanish War (1585) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of England |  Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Richard Hawkins (POW) | Beltrán de Castro | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 galleon 1 pinnace prize | 1 galleon 1 galley-zabra | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 galleon captured 1 pinnace recaptured 27 killed 17 wounded 93 captured[2] | 28 dead 22 wounded[1] | ||||||
Theaction of San Mateo Bay oraction of Atacames Bay was a naval engagement which took place from 29 June to 1 July 1594 between the galleonDainty under the command of English privateerRichard Hawkins and a Spanish squadron of three galleons commanded by Beltrán de Castro at the mouth of theEsmeraldas river, nowadaysEcuador.
In 1593 Hawkins, a nephew of SirFrancis Drake, purchased theDainty, a ship originally built for his father asRepentance and used by him in his expeditions, and sailed for the West Indies, theSpanish Main, and the South Seas.[3] It seems clear that his project was to prey on the overseas possessions of theSpanish crown. Hawkins, however, in an account of the voyage written 30 years afterwards, maintained that his expedition was undertaken purely for the purpose of geographical discovery. After visiting the coast ofBrazil, theDainty passed through theStraits of Magellan, and in due course reachedValparaíso, where he plundered the town and captured four vessels.[4]
After refreshing provisions for four days inAtacames Bay,Richard Hawkins spotted a vessel in open sea and ordered hispinnace to investigate.[1] At 9:00 A.M the next day he weighed with his ship and took up station farther west off Cape San Francisco for two days before returning and discovering his dismasted consort in nearby San Mateo Bay.[1]
The English duo was preparing to sail out into the Pacific by the morning of 29 June when two other ships came around Cape San Francisco. Believing to be Spanish treasure ships from Peru, Hawkins sent his repaired pinnace to reconnoiter, only to see it chased back by Felipón's 14-gun galley-zabra. De Castro'sSan Francisco y Nuestra Señora del Rosario followed close astern and attempted to run aboardDainty but was checked by a heavy broadside.[1] In the meanwhile, the pinnace's crew strove to regain their flagship and concentrate forces but was intercepted by the galley-zabra; a few survivors managed to clamber aboard over the bowsprit. Both sides then exchanged long-range salvos for the next couple of days, the English toppling Felipón's mainmast on 30 June before finally surrendering to the Spaniards by the afternoon of 1 July.[1] On theDainty, 27 of the crew were killed, 17 (including Hawkins) were wounded, and 93 others captured. The Spanish lost 28 dead and 22 wounded out of 300.[1]
De Castro installed Felipón as prize master and towed the badly damaged English flagship to thePearl Islands, reaching Perico island for a tumultuous reception on 19 July. Despite being promised honorable terms by De Castro,Peruvian colonial authorities were of a different opinion and most of the English captives were tried by the Inquisition and condemned as galley slaves, while Hawkins was freed and eventually returned to England.[1]Dainty was renamed toNuestra Señora de la Visitación, also known asLa Inglesa, and incorporated into the Peruvian Squadron of the Spanish navy. TheDainty was exhibited atPanama as a trophy of war: the first prize taken by the Spaniards in the Southern Seas.[5]
1°1′2.6″N79°36′30.5″W / 1.017389°N 79.608472°W /1.017389; -79.608472