page_title: Battle of Tortuguero
section_title: The battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Tortuguero / The battle
caption_attribution_description: English: picture of national hero, dominican navy comander Juan Bautista Cambiaso.
context_page_description: The Battle of Tortuguero was the first naval battle of the Dominican War of Independence and was fought on 15 April 1844 at Tortuguero, Azua Province. A force of three Dominican schooners led by Commander Juan Bautista Cambiaso defeated a force of three vessels of the Haitian Navy. Though it was a minor naval battle engagement, it determined the naval supremacy of the Dominican Republic over Haiti until the end of the war.
context_section_description: On 13 April 1844 three schooners led by Commander Juan Bautista Cambiaso set sail from Aguas de la Estancia. Cambiaso leading the schooner Separación Dominicana (flagship), the Captain Juan Bautista Maggiolo led the María Chica and Lieutenant Juan Alejandro Acosta led the San José.
  Two days later, on 15 April 1844 Commander Cambiaso sighted three vessels off shore bombarding Puerto Tortuguero, Azua. The three vessels were the Pandora, La Mouche and Le Signifie. Cambiaso quickly decided to engage the fleet and after a combination of manoeuvres the enemy succumbed. All three enemy vessels were sunk. Almost all sailors died in the battle and there is no record of any survivor from the sinkings.
caption: Juan Bautista Cambiaso
exif: {}