Manuel de la Cámara | |
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| Born | (1836-05-07)7 May 1836 Málaga,Province of Málaga, Spain |
| Died | 4 January 1920(1920-01-04) (aged 83) Málaga, Province of Málaga, Spain |
| Buried | Cemetery of San Miguel, Málaga, Province of Málaga, Spain |
| Allegiance |  Spain |
| Branch |  Spanish Navy |
| Service years | 1852–1903 |
| Rank |  Almirante |
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AdmiralManuel de la Cámara y Livermoore (orLibermoore) (7 May 1836 – 4 January 1920) was a Spanish naval officer. He saw service in many ofSpain′s wars of the second half of the nineteenth century and is most notable for commandinga large naval squadron that made an abortive attempt to relieve Spanish forces in thePhilippine Islands during theSpanish–American War.
Cámara was born atMálaga,Spain, on 7 May 1836[1][note 1] into a family of merchants.[1] He was the son of José de la Cámara y Moreno (1793–1869) and Dolores Livermore Salas (1803–1875).[2] His father was a Spanishmerchant mariner andsea captain,[3] and his mother wasEnglish.[3] He had five brothers and six sisters.
Having an English mother, Cámara learnedEnglish in childhood.[3] After schooling in Málaga, he entered the Spanishnaval academy inSan Fernando in July 1850.[1] He completed his course of study there in 1852.[1]
Tragedy struck the Cámara family on 28 March 1856 when one of Cámara′s sisters, Matilde de la Cámara Livermore, who had boarded the SpanishsteamshipMiño inLiverpool,England, for a voyage toBarcelona, Spain, was among 94 people who drowned whenMiño sank in theStrait of Gibraltar offTarifa, Spain, after colliding with the Britishtransport shipMinden.[4][5][6][7][note 2]
After graduation from the naval academy, Cámara entered theSpanish Navy as amidshipman atCádiz in 1852 and made a cruise aboard atraining ship with his fellowmidshipmen before he wascommissioned as an officer in theSpanish Navy[1][3] with the rank ofalférez de fragata or "frigate ensign," the lower of the Spanish Navy′s twoensign ranks. During the years between 1852 and 1858, he had duty in the waters of theIberian Peninsula and theAntilles.[1] In July 1858, he was promoted toalférez de navío[1] or "ship-of-the-line ensign," the higher of the Spanish Navy′s two ensign ranks, and was assigned to the Maritime Department ofHavana.[1] In subsequent years he saw duty aboard thepaddle steamersIsabel II andPizarro, thescrew frigatePetronila, the vesselValdés, and the paddle steamersIsabel la Católica,Francisco de Asís, andAntonio Ulloa,[1] served as interimcommanding officer of theschoonersCristina andJuanita,[1] and took part in theHispano-Moroccan War of 1859–1860, in which his superiors noted that he displayed fine qualities as an officer.[3]
In 1861, Spain concluded theConvention of London withFrance and theUnited Kingdom, in which the three powers agreed to set up a navalblockade ofMexico in theGulf of Mexico and occupyVeracruz to force Mexico to repay its loans.[3] Cámara went to the Gulf of Mexico in 1862 for service in the blockade,[3][8] during which he served on the general staff ofFrench NavyVice AdmiralEdmond Jurien de La Gravière.[3] Cámara returned to Spain in 1863 and was assigned to duty aboard the paddle steamerPiles, based at Cádiz.[1]
In 1864, Cámara becamesailing master aboard thescrew corvetteVencedora in the PacificSquadron.[1][3][9] In that year, theChincha Islands War withPeru — joined later byBolivia,Chile, andEcuador — broke out in the southeasternPacific Ocean. Transferring to the more modern screw frigateVilla de Madrid to serve as her sailing master andnavigator and promoted toteniente de navío (ship-of-the-line lieutenant) in 1865 while aboardVilla de Madrid,[1][3][9] he saw action in many of the war′s major operations.[1] During his tour aboardVilla de Madrid, the frigate took part in a blockade of Chile′s ports in 1866 and in theBattle of Abtao on 7 February 1866 atAbtao Island in Chile′sChiloé Archipelago, in whichVilla de Madrid and the Spanish frigateReina Blanca displayed good marksmanship in what was otherwise an indecisive engagement with thePeruvian Navy frigateApurímac and corvettesAmérica andUnión and theChilean Navy schoonerCovadonga.[1]Villa de Madrid also participated in thebombardment of Valparaíso, Chile, on 31 March 1866 and the blockade of the Chorrillos squadron in April 1866.[1]
AboardVilla de Madrid, Cámara took part in the lone major naval action of the Chincha Islands War, theBattle of Callao, in which the Spanish Navy squadron ofAdmiralCasto Méndez Núñez bombarded coastal fortifications atCallao, Peru, on 2 May 1866.[3] After a 450-pound (204 kg) projectile hitVilla de Madrid, inflicting 35 casualties and destroying herboilers,Vencedoratowed her out of danger, butVilla de Madrid fired over 200 rounds at the Peruvian fortifications during the maneuver.[10][11] In command of a battery of guns onVilla de Madrid′s main deck, Cámara played an active and conspicuous role in the battle, the guns under his command firing until they ran out of ammunition.[3] For his actions during the war, Cámara received theCross of Naval Merit First Class and was appointed to the post of commander of theSpanish Marine Corps.[1]
Misfortune again struck Cámara's family when Cámara's younger brother Ricardo de la Cámara Livermore, born in 1839, who also participated in the Chincha Islands War with the rank ofalférez de navío, developed a psychological trauma diagnosed as "war neurosis" as a result of the conflict. It eventually developed into what was diagnosed as "senile dementia," leading to Ricardo′s admittance to a mentalsanatorium.[12]
After the Chincha Islands War ended in 1866, Cámara received rapid promotion.[3] On 18 July 1867, he was appointed to the Spanish Navy commission to the United Kingdom inLondon,[1] performing duty at the Spanish Embassy there. He then served successively aboard theironcladarmored frigatesVitoria andArapiles.[1] In 1868 he was promoted toteniente de navío de 1.ª clase (ship-of-the-line lieutenant 1st class) and began a tour in the Department of the Philippines in command of thegunboatPrueba.[1] During his tour in command,Prueba supported theHydrographic Commission of the Archipelago in conductinghydrographic surveys in the Philippines.[1] In 1870, he relinquished command ofPrueba and returned to Spain.[1]
In 1872, Cámara was assigned to the Maritime Department of Havana in Cuba,[1] where theTen Years' War had broken out in 1868. In Cuban waters,[9] he took command of thegunboatCuba Española,[1] patrolling the Cuban coast aboard her[3] and assisting in the defense ofGuantánamo against the Cuban rebel forces ofAntonio Maceo Grajales, an action for which he received both theCross of Military Merit and a second award of the Cross of Naval Merit.[1] He also commanded the paddle steamerDon Álvaro de Bazán and thesloop-of-warFavorita during the war.[1]
After the Spanishsteam corvetteTornado captured the American sidewheel paddle steamerVirginius — which was transporting men, munitions, and supplies to Cuban rebels — off Cuba on 30 October 1873 and Spanish authorities subsequently executed many of her passengers and crew, the resulting crisis with theUnited States, known as theVirginius Affair, almost led to war. Spain eventually agreed to returnVirginius to the United States. Cámara, in command ofFavorita at the time, played a role in the final resolution of the affair, boarding theUnited States Navy steamerUSS Despatch offBahia Honda, Cuba, on 16 December 1873 and making arrangements with U.S. NavyCaptain W. D. Whiting forVirginius′s return, which took place without incident the next day under Cámara′s supervision from aboardFavorita.[13][14]
Promoted tocapitán de fragata (frigate captain) in 1876, Cámara took command of the corvetteAfrica, but he was relieved of command because of complaints byAfrica′s officers and was reprimanded by thecaptain general of the Department ofCartagena.[1] When he relinquished command ofAfrica, however, the admiral commanding his squadron congratulated him on his tour in command ofAfrica. He then became the commanding officer ofTornado. Under his command,Tornado made several voyages between Spain andMorocco, transferring theminister plenipotentiary of Spain in Morocco and the staff of the Moroccanembassy in Spain.[1]
In 1885, Cámara was appointed head of the Spanish Navy commission in the United States atWashington, D.C., serving asnaval attaché at the Spanish embassy there.[1][9][15][16] He held that position until January 1888.[1] He then returned to Spain, and was promoted tocapitán de navío (ship-of-the-line captain) in 1888.[1] In his next assignments, he successively commanded theunprotected cruisersReina Mercedes andCastilla.[1]
On 7 March 1890, Cámara took command of the Philippine Division, a naval force composed ofCastilla and the unprotected cruisersDon Antonio de Ulloa andDon Juan de Austria designated to reinforce the Spanish Navy′s squadron in the Philippines.[1][17] The division departed Cádiz[17] on 9 April 1890.[9] Transiting theMediterranean Sea,Suez Canal, andIndian Ocean, the division encountered heavy weather in theGulf of Lyons, but otherwise enjoyed good weather during its voyage.[17] It called at Barcelona,Port Said,Suez,Aden, andColombo before arriving atSingapore on 2 June 1890.[17] The three cruisers resumed their voyage the next day and arrived atManila on 17 June 1890. In the Philippines, the division became known as the "Black Squadron" because its ships were painted black instead of white, as other Asiatic Squadron ships were. Although a ship-of-the-line captain, Cámara commanded the division with the title of "commodore" of the division[17] until December 1890, when illness forced him to relinquish command.[1]
Cámara returned to Spain in 1891.[1] After regaining his health, he was assigned that year to the post of major general of the Maritime Department of Havana, serving concurrently as commander of the Antilles Squadron. He returned to Cádiz in 1892, where he took command of the unprotected cruiserNavarra.[1] In 1893, he became port captain at Málaga,[3] a position in his home town in which he hoped to have greater rest than he had found possible in his deployments over the previous years. However, theFirst Rif War broke out inMelilla in 1893, and the conflict made it necessary to send a large number ofSpanish Army troops to Morocco. The Spanish Navy did not have enough ships to transport them all, so it ordered Cámara to organize their transportation. Cámara showed great skill in finding and hiring suitable ships in various Spanish ports, and received numerous commendations for his work during the war.
In April 1894, the month the First Rif War War ended, Cámara was promoted tocapitán de navío de 1.ª clase (ship-of-the-line captain first class).[1] In 1895 he was appointed head of the Spanish Navy commission to the United Kingdom in London, serving as naval attaché at the Spanish embassy there.[1][15][9][16] In April 1897, he was promoted tocontralmirante (counter admiral) and returned to Spain,[1] where he became commander of the Reserve Squadron. He represented the Spanish Navy at theDiamond Jubilee ofQueen Victoria in the United Kingdom in June 1897.[3]
Shortly after theSpanish–American War began in April 1898, the Spanish Navy ordered major units of its fleet to concentrate at Cádiz to form the 2nd Squadron, under Cámara′s command.[18] Two of Spain's most powerful warships, thebattleshipPelayo and the brand-newarmored cruiserEmperador Carlos V, were not available when the war began, the former undergoing reconstruction in a French shipyard and the latter not yet delivered from her builders. However, both were rushed into service and assigned to Cámara's squadron.[19] One mission of the squadron, in the absence of any other direction, was to guard the Spanish coast against raids by theUnited States Navy.
During a meeting of senior Spanish naval officers inMadrid on 23 April 1898, Cámara voted with the majority to send the squadron of Vice AdmiralPascual Cervera y Topete to the Caribbean.[15] Cervera's squadron duly arrived at Cuba, where it wasblockaded in the harbor ofSantiago de Cuba by the U.S. Navy'sNorth Atlantic Squadron andFlying Squadron beginning on 27 May 1898. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy'sAsiatic Squadron underCommodoreGeorge Dewey had destroyed the Spanish Navy's squadron in the Philippine Islands under Rear AdmiralPatricio Montojo y Pasaron in theBattle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.
Cámara's squadron lay idle at Cádiz while the SpanishMinistry of the Navy considered options for redressing the situation in the Caribbean and the Philippines. In late May 1898, Spanish Minister of the NavyRamón Auñón y Villalón made plans for Cámara to take a squadron consisting of an armored cruiser, three auxiliarycruisers, and adispatch boat across theAtlantic Ocean and bombard a city on theUnited States East Coast – preferablyCharleston,South Carolina – after which the squadron was to head for the Caribbean and make port inPuerto Rico atSan Juan or in Cuba at either Havana or Santiago de Cuba.[15] Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence reported rumors as early as 15 May 1898 that Spain also was considering sending Cámara's squadron to the Philippines to destroy Dewey's squadron and reinforce the Spanish forces there with fresh troops.[20]Pelayo andEmperador Carlos V each were individually more powerful than any of Dewey's ships, and the possibility of their arrival in the Philippines was of great concern to the United States, which hastily arranged to dispatch 10,000 additional U.S. Army troops to the Philippines and send two U.S. Navymonitors to reinforce Dewey.[20]
On 15 June 1898, Cámara finally received his orders: Plans to raid the U.S. East Coast were cancelled, and instead he was to depart immediately for the Philippines, escorting a convoy carrying 4,000 Spanish Army troops for reinforcement of the Philippines, and destroy Dewey's squadron there.[21] His orders directed him to depart Cádiz withPelayo (hisflagship),Emperador Carlos V, the auxiliary cruisersPatriota andRapido, the destroyersAudaz,Osado, andProserpina, thetransportsBuenos Aires,Panay,Alfonso XII, andAntonio Lopez, and fourcolliers carrying 20,000 tons ofcoal. He was to detachAlfonso XII andAntonio Lopez nearGibraltar after dark so that they could proceed to the Caribbean, then take the rest of his force to the Philippines via Gibraltar,Port Said,Suez,Socotra (at which point the colliers were to be detached to return toCartagena), theLaccadive Islands, andCeylon. After that, he was told to coal either along the coast ofSumatra or inSingapore orBatavia, and then either make an optional stop atLabuan,Borneo, or proceed directly toMindanao. Once in the Philippines, he was to disperse (to places such asBalabac,Jolo,Basilan, andZamboanga) or concentrate his squadron as best he saw fit to ensure the safe arrival of the troops. Then he was to deal with Dewey's squadron.[15][22]
Cámara sortied from Cádiz on 16 June 1898,[23] passed Gibraltar on 17 June 1898[24] (first detachingAlfonso XII andAntonio Lopez for their independent voyages to the Caribbean as ordered), and arrived at Port Said on 26 June 1898.[25] There he requested permission to transship coal.[25] However, intelligence operatives in Spain had made the United States aware of Cámara's itinerary, and the U.S. acting viceconsul to Egypt inCairo, diplomatEthelbert Watts, had acquired a lien on all coal available in Suez.[26] Further complicating matters for Cámara, the British government, which effectively controlled Egypt at the time, informed him on 29 June that his squadron was not permitted to coal in Egyptian waters, on the grounds that it had enough coal to return to Spain and that any coaling activity it undertook in Egypt would violate Egyptian and British neutrality, and that he would have to return to sea within 24 hours. Cámara complied.[15]
Ordered to continue its voyage,[9] Cámara's squadron passed through theSuez Canal on 5–6 July 1898. By that time, aUnited States Department of the Navy bulletin released on 27 June 1898 had announced that U.S. NavyCommodoreJohn C. Watson would "take under his command an armored squadron with cruisers and proceed at once to the Spanish coast"[9] and Cervera's squadron in the Caribbean had been annihilated in theBattle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July, freeing up the U.S. Navy's heavy forces from the blockade of Santiago de Cuba. Although Watson′s squadron had barely begun to assemble,[9] the Spanish Ministry of Marine, fearful for the security of the Spanish coast, recalled Cámara's squadron, which by then had reached theRed Sea, on 7 July 1898.[27] On the return voyage, Cámara's squadron departed Suez on 11 July 1898 for Spain, where it arrived at Cartagena, Spain, on 23 July and then made its way back to Cádiz.[15] The 2nd Squadron was dissolved on 25 July 1898.[18]
The Spanish–American War ended on 12 August 1898 in a decisive defeat of Spain without Cámara or his ships having had a chance to see combat.
After returning from his abortive voyage to the Philippines and the dissolution of the 2nd Squadron, Cámara resumed his command of the Reserve Squadron. It was renamed the Instructional Squadron in January 1899,[1] and as its commander he became chief oftraining ships fornaval cadets, making voyages in the waters of the Iberian Peninsula and to theCanary Islands.[1][9] In 1901, he took up duties as captain general of the Department ofFerrol,[1] and in 1902 he becameaide-de-camp toKing Alfonso XIII,[1] in which capacity he met KingCarlos I of Portugal at the border withPortugal and escorted him toMadrid.[1] In May 1903 he was promoted tovicealmirante (vice admiral)[1][9] and appointed president of theMerchant Marine Board.[1]
During his career, Cámara twice served as Director of Materiel at the SpanishMinistry of the Navy.[3][28]
In August 1903, at his own request, Cámara was transferred to the reserve list and retired from the navy.[1][9][15] The Spanish Navy changed its rank structure on 10 January 1912, with senior ranks each increasing by one grade.[29] Thus in retirement Cámara′s rank becamealmirante (admiral) on that date.[30]
Cámara married Emma Díaz Gayen (1857–1935)[2] in the Church of Santa María del Sagrario in Málaga on 1 August 1878.[2] They had three sons — Manuel de la Cámara Díaz (1879–1959), Carlos de la Cámara Díaz (1881–1948), and Enrique de la Cámara Díaz (1884–1951) — and a daughter, Emma de la Cámara Díaz (1880–1970).[2]
In his personal demeanor, Cámara was modest, soft-spoken, reserved and reticent, with an air of dignified gravity and even melancholy.[3] Professionally, he was deliberate, determined, and strong-willed, but he was kind, gentle, attentive, and generous toward his acquaintances.[3] He was personally wealthy and lived a refined life, but quietly and with little ostentation.[3] A deeply religious man,[3] he often read prayers and provided religious instruction to sailors under his command,[3] and at least some of his associates believed that he cared little about the secular affairs of the world.[3] Politically, he was a staunch Royalist in good favor with theSpanish royal family, but he rarely resided in Madrid because he disliked the pomp and circumstance of the royal court and the socializing it demanded.[3]
Because of his English mother, Cámara was sympathetic toward the United Kingdom.[3] During periods of leave from the navy, he often spent one or two months at a time living quietly inLondon.[3]
Cámara died in Málaga on 4 January 1920.[15][31] He is buried in theCemetery of San Miguel in Málaga.[32]
Awards Cámara received include:
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Cross of Naval Merit First Class (two awards)_pasador.svg)
Cross of Military Merit
Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (1901)[33][34][35]
Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild (1902)[36][37]_pasador.svg)
Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit with white insignia (1903)
Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild (1911)[38]_Version_with_Golden_Fleece_and_Order_of_Charles_III_Collars.svg)
Honorary assistant of the Military House of S.M. King D.Alfonso XIII[39]cuatro meses de licencia para la Península y el extranjero al alférez de navío don Manuel de la Cámara y Livermore
cese en el cargo de jefe de la Comisión de Marina en Londres, el contraalmirante D. Manuel de la Cámara y Livermore
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Pensión de orfandad para su hija Emma De la Cámara Díaz
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Queriendo dar una señalada prueba de Mi Real aprecio a vos D. Manuel de la Cámara y Livermore, de acuerdo con el parecer de Mi Consejo de Ministros; En nombre de Mi Augusto Hijo el Rey D. Alfonso XIII, y como Reina Regente del Reino, Vengo en concederle la Gran Cruz de la Real y distinguida Orden de Carlos III (...)-MARIA CRISTINA
Decreto concediendo a D. Manuel de la Cámara y Livermore la gran cruz de la Orden de Carlos III.
Decreto concediendo a D. Manuel de la Cámara y Livermore la gran cruz de la Orden de Carlos III.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)1903 D. Manuel De la Cámara y Livermore
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Authority control databases: National |
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