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José de Córdoba y Ramos (September 26, 1732 – April 3, 1815) was aSpanish Navy officer and explorer who sailed around the world and fought in several battles of theFrench Revolutionary Wars.
Born into a family of sailors, he was the son of Don Ramón Antonio de Córdova-Lasso de la Vega y Córdova-Lasso de la Vega, and Doña Mariana Josefa Ramos de Garay y Mexiá.
Córdoba took to the seas at the age of 13. After sailing underAndrés Reggio, he was appointed to sail his own ship fromCádiz toManila Bay via theCape of Good Hope. In command of the frigateAstrea, he set sail in April 1770 with a crew of 289 men. Arriving in Manila Bay, he affirmed that he only had two patients withscurvy, pointing out that the low incidence of scurvy was due to thegaspacho that he ordered to be given to the crew. Setting course back to Spain on January 6, 1771, he arrived at theIsla de León on August 1, 1771. Later in his career he sailed several times to thePhilippines, where he oversaw improvements in the design of theManila Galleon.
On September 21, 1789, he becameTeniente general (lieutenant general) of the Navy.At the outbreak of war withBritain in 1796, he was put in command of the Spanish fleet. While in command of the fleet he suffered a serious defeat at theBattle of Cape St Vincent (1797) on board theSantísima Trinidad (which was successfully attacked byCommodoreHoratio Nelson and after surrendering Córdoba's flagship was only saved because of the intervention of two other Spanish ships).
After St Vincent, Córdoba was dismissed from the Spanish Navy and forbidden from appearing at court.
He married Julia de Rojas and they had one son,José de Córdoba y Rojas, a loyalist commander in theSpanish American wars of independence. He was also the grandfather of:
Content in this article is translated from the existing Spanish Wikipedia article ates:José de Córdova y Ramos; see its history for attribution.
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