The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-10-05
A SHIP.
How the Centurion Captured a Gold
Laden Spanish Vessel.

mas WdQe Il greater ihupiesoIoh vi 'h0
popular mini than the capture of the
great trcasu;c ship Nuestra Sonora ne
Cabadonga. Oh April 90, 1743. IL he
the first place. the value OF the rra,
was enormous. in the second. tie uu7l
between re Centurion snl treasure
ship was a fine single-ship action;
and in the third place, the victory
| came at a time when Ansons fortunes
| seemed to he at a low ebb. when one
disaster after another had reduced his
| squadron to one ship, and when sick
| ness had reduced his guns crews to
two men each.
The Nucstra Sonora de C~abadonga,
| or as It. is also called. de C~ovadonga'
was a treasure ship from Manila. COM
| manded by Don Geronimo Montero'
| and laden with specie and merchan-
| disc She was sighted at sunrise from
the masthead of the Centurion. n
Master Richard Walter, Anson's chap
lain and historian, tells us that "a
| general JOY spread through the whole
| ship" Gallons nearly always cruised
| in couples, and it was supposed an
other must be near. The Centurion al
| orce stood toward the Spaniard. n
| before s o'clock her officers could see
| the enemy from the deck. The firing
| of a gun by the galleon was taken by
Anson'e men to be a consert % make
haste and reioin. and Ito amuse the
Dons" the Centurion herself fired a
gun to leeward. But Don Geronimo
Montero had no consort, nor did ne
underrate the proves of his opponent.
| The Spaniards knew they were face to
| face with Arson and me Centurion,
and suev we're keen to fight. Through
out the forenoon the two ships crept
| closer and closer together. till by mid
day only a league separated them.
| Then the Nuestra Sonora de Caba-
donga brought to under topsails, with
her head to the northward. and at the
| top-sallant masthead the standard OF
| Spain was flying.
Arson was not slow to accept the
| challenge, and he laid his plans with
great foresight. Into the tops he sent
30 picked men, the best small arms
marksmen in the ship. His broadside
guns were manned only with two
men eacn, and to them he gave in
| structions to do nothing but load their
gun. The rest of the men were divided
into gangs of IL, with orders to move
up and down the battery for the DIE
purpose of running out aud firing the
guns as they were loaded. 1t was an
unconventional way Of fighting; con-
| tinuous INDEPENDENT fire was the last
thing the %Spaniards expected, and II
threw them into as much confusion
5 did the disaster which overlook
them within a few minutes Of the
opening of the fight. A mass of mats
and hammocks in the netting of the
| galleon caught fire, burning f~ercely
and blazing up nearly as high as the
nizzep top. The two ships were prac-
tically within pistol shot, and it was
.rouaDly Svn, gCnwads trcm ne &.
| .urion which started the blaze. Tc
roe themselves from the danger was
no light task, and It took the SPANS
eau,,u ..A.r ..lnG 10 cut tho MEETINGS
| away and tumble the flaming mass
,erooard. and IN the meanwhile 40
sons marksmen in the tops were SUBJ
jecting the galleon's upper decks TO an
incessant fusilade. Walter describes
the effect as "prodigious havoc" and
adds that the markSmen succeeded in
killing or wounding every officer but
| one that appeared on the quarter deck.
| and wounding in particular the gen.
eral of the galleon himself"
The fight ragged in for two hours.
Arson changing from round shout to
! grape in the second part Of the en-
sagement with deadly effect. The
hips were so near that some of the
| Spanish officers were seen running
| about with much a%ssiduity TO prevent
| the desertion of their men from their
| quarters, but all their endcavors were
| in vain. After having as a last effort
fired five or six guns with more
judgment than usual" they yielded up
| the contest; and the galleon'S colors
being burned off the ensign staff at
| the beginning Of the engagement. she
struck the standard at her main top
gallant masthead. The Centurion did
| not escape unchanged: at the moment
| the galleon struck Arson was informed
quietly that his ship was on fire near
the powder room. He received the
news with apparent emotion. and TAX
| ing care not to alarm his people, gave
| the necessary orders for extinguishins
| the fire.
The specie in the Nuestra Sonora de
| Cabadonga included 1.313.S43 pieces Of
eight. and 1852 ounces of virgin sill
YER. and the total value Of the prize
was assessed at G3l3.000. And in this
connection it is interesting to note
| thar two other Spanish treasure ships
captured by English commanders bore
names similar to that of AnSon's prize
| There was the Nuestra Sonora del
Rosarian, which Drake took, and ~
| it great booty" from that most haugh-
~ of Spanish seamen. Don Pedro los
Remedies. which was taken very richly