 Scale model of an English galleon | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | Repentance |
| Builder | Built in theRiver Thames[1] |
| Laid down | 1588 |
| Launched | 1588 |
| Renamed | Dainty (1589)[2] |
| Captured | By the Spaniards on 2 July 1594 in theSan Mateo Bay action |
 Spain | |
| Name | Nuestra Señora de la Visitación (usually also calledVisitación) |
| Acquired | 2 July 1594 |
| In service | 1594–1619 |
| Nickname(s) | La Inglesa |
| Fate | Sold (fate unknown) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Race-built galleon |
| Tons burthen | 300–400[3] or 500[4]tons |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Complement | 115 (ideal crew)[5] |
| Armament | |
Dainty was an Englishrace-built galleon that began to be built in 1588. The original name wasRepentance, but this was soon changed. It participated in some naval engagements in theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). In 1593 it sailed from England underRichard Hawkins to navigate thePacific Ocean and circumnavigate the world, but wascaptured the following year by the Spaniards when it was sailing off the coast of what is now Ecuador. It was commissioned by the Spaniards asNuestra Señora de la Visitación (orVisitación), serving in the South Pacific for several years. She was also known informally by her nickname,La Inglesa.
In 1588, the privateerRichard Hawkins, son ofJohn Hawkins and cousin ofFrancis Drake, began building a ship on theRiver Thames, to become independent of his father and sail towards the Pacific Ocean,[A] emulating Drake andThomas Cavendish. It has been described as a larger ship compared to theGolden Hind, but had the same essential attributes; being"profitable for stowage, good of sail, and well conditioned."[9] TheDainty is considered asister ship ofRevenge.[10]
On the day of its launch, the ship was namedRepentance by Hawkins's puritanical stepmother.[9][11] It was renamedDainty in 1589 by order of QueenElizabeth I of England, since when she saw the ship, she considered it beautiful.[11]
Hawkins could not make the trip he dreamed of when the ship was ready, as he was forced to sell it to his father.[11] It remained in the service of theQueen's Navy since 1589, during the Anglo-Spanish War. In that year, his father addedDainty in the fleet underMartin Frobisher.[11] In 1592, he participated in theCruising Voyage to theAzores Islands, collaborating in the capture of the PortuguesecarrackMadre de Deus[12] with a rich cargo, and a 600-ton Biscayan ship loaded with iron.[9] On that occasion the ship's captain was not Hawkins; it was helmed by another captain, namely Thomas Thompson ofHarwich.[13][14][15]
In the brief career of the ship it had already demonstrated good attributes, but Hawkins' father considered that it"never brought but cost, trouble and care", so, as a businessman, he decided to sell it to his son.[9] The young Hawkins resumed his old project for which he had built theDainty, preparing it in a short time;[9] with a 100 men[16] and 20 or 32 guns.[17][16]
On 12 June 1593, after Hawkins obtained aletter of queen's mark, he sailed fromPlymouth[16] toSouth America with theflagshipDainty and two other ships that formed his squadron; the 100-tonstoreshipHawk and the 60-tonpinnaceFancy.[17] Historians say that the crew of theDainty and the other ships were of very poor quality, which would explain the delay they had in passing theEnglish Channel and the three months in theCanary Islands.[18]
Before passing theEquator, the ship was almost wrecked in theGulf of Guinea due to Hawkins errors in calculation, and as time passed, the crew began to be affected by diseases such as scurvy. On November 10, Hawkins approachedSantos (Brazil) with his squadron for provision, and five days later he anchored off Santa Ana Island to establish a camp. He was harassed by Native Portuguese militiamen, while stalking ships on the coast.[17]
Due to the number of deaths from disease, theHawk was sunk by Hawkins and its crew redistributed between theDainty andFancy.[17] In December, he abandoned his anchorage off Brazil and, while cruising, captured a 100-ton Portuguese ship with the newly appointed governor and 50Angolan soldiers. The ship was deprived of all his provisions before being released in January 1594.[17] In the same month, while sailing near theRío de la Plata, theDainty lost contact with theFancy, which after separating reversed its course to England.[17] Hawkins arrived with theDainty in theFalkland Islands, and believing that he had discovered the islands, he baptized them again.[18]
On February 20, Hawkins arrived with his ship at the Strait of Magellan, emerging in the Pacific in early April,[17] heading to the coast ofChile. In the same month, after overcoming a storm, he passed throughValdivia andMocha Island. Later, theDainty appeared inValparaíso, where he captured several ships for which Hawkins got a ransom in money,[19] and continued his journey to the north coast.
On 31 May, sailing along the Peruvian coast, betweenChincha Alta andSan Vicente de Cañete, he met a Spanish squadron of six ships of varied tonnage under Beltrán de Castro, who had already been alerted to Hawkins's presence.[19] TheDainty managed to escape due to the strong winds that damaged Spanish vessels.[19] Hawkins continued with the ship to the north and, at the end of June, near the bay ofAtacames (Ecuador), sighted the Spaniards with two ships under Castro.[20] TheDainty wascaptured by the Spaniards in a fight that took place on 2 July,[20] becoming the first vessel captured by the Spaniards in the South Pacific.[21]
The Spaniards sailed theDainty to thePearl Islands and then to the port of Perico (west-northwest ofPanama City[22]), having a jubilant reception on 9 July.[23] The guns and ammunition of theprize were priced at 78,000 pesos.[23] The ship was paraded through the harbour like a war trophy, receiving the townspeople on board.[23] For two months the ship was repaired there, and was then taken toCallao, in theViceroyalty of Peru.[24] It entered the service of theSpanish Navy with the name ofNuestra Señora de la Visitación (also calledVisitación), in consideration of thereligious holiday of the day it was captured.[24] In addition to the new name, it was nicknamedLa Inglesa.[25] The ship remained in service in theArmada del Mar del Sur(English: South Sea Navy)[B] until twenty-five years after its capture by the Spaniards.[27]
During ViceroyLuis de Velasco's rule (1596–1604), it remained permanently enlisted since Dutch intruders entered the South Pacific[5] between 1599 and 1600.[C] In January 1600, he was sent with other ships to find the Dutch.[6] By then, the ship was carried by a crew of 145 and was armed with 18 guns.[6] In this period, theVisitación would have been the secondcapital ship of the Pacific squadron.[D] Between 1602 and 1604, theVisitación underwent an important reconstruction in the shipyard ofGuayaquil, which has led some historians to consider it as a completely new vessel.[29]
By 1615,Visitación was in poor condition, as it already had several years of service.[30] In the middle of that year, it stayed in Callao to protect the port, with 30 men and 12 guns, from the threat of the Dutch squadron underJoris van Spilbergen.[31][E] Shortly after, it set sail forPanama in a convoy, carrying money from the Royal Treasury and private sector, and to bring the new Viceroy of Peru, thePrince of Esquilache. In the government of Esquilache, the veteranVisitación was still in service despite its shortcomings when sailing close-hauled.[35] Later, with the realization of the naval plans of Esquilache between 1617 and 1619, it was sold to finance the purchase of other warships.[35]