Battle of Porto Bello The Battle of Porto Bello , or the Battle of Portobello , was a 1739 battle between a British naval force aiming to capture the settlement of Portobello in Panama , and its Spanish defenders . It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession , in the early stages of the war sometimes known as the War of Jenkins ' Ear . It resulted in a popularly acclaimed British victory . Background . The settlement of Portobello was an important port on the Spanish Main . Following the failure of an earlier British naval blockade to prevent a fully laden treasure fleet sailing to Spain from Porto Bello in 1727 , an action in which he had taken part , the then Vice Admiral Edward Vernon repeatedly claimed he could capture it with just six ships . Following his appointment to command the Jamaica Station , Vernon organised an expedition with just six ships , despite criticism that this was far too few . Vernon was a strong advocate for using small squadrons of powerfully armed warships hitting hard and moving fast rather than larger slower - moving expeditions that were prone to heavy losses through disease . Battle . Vernon ' s force appeared off Portobello on 20 November 1739 . The British ships entered the bay prepared for a general attack , but a wind coming from the east obliged Vernon to concentrate his ships on the Todo Fierro harbour fort . The Spanish garrison was caught unprepared . When some Spaniards began to fly from several parts of the fort , several landing parties were sent inshore . The British sailors and marines scaled the walls of the fort , struck the Spanish colours in the lower battery and hoisted an English ensign . The Spaniards surrendered then at discretion . Of the 300 - man Spanish garrison , only 40 soldiers led by Lieutenant Don Juan Francisco Garganta had remained in the fort . Once captured Todo Fierro , Vernon shifted his ships against Santiago Fortress , sinking a Spanish sloop and causing other damages . At dawn on the following morning , the Spaniards requested terms . Governor Francisco Javier Martínez de la Vega y Retes surrendered at the afternoon . Portobello was occupied by the British at the cost of three dead and seven injured . Three prizes were taken : an armed snow which was renamed " Triumph " and two coastguards of 20 guns each one . The British occupied the town for three weeks , destroying the fortress and other key buildings and ending the settlement ' s main function as a major Spanish maritime base , before withdrawing . Legacy . The capture of Porto Bello was welcomed as an exceptionally popular triumph throughout Britain and America , and the name of Portobello came to be used in commemoration at a variety of locations , such as the Portobello Road in London , the Portobello district of Edinburgh and also in Dublin ; as well as Porto Bello in Virginia . The victory was particularly well received in America , where the Spanish had been preying on British shipping . Admiral Vernon became a popular hero , and was himself commemorated in several places , perhaps most famously Mount Vernon , later the estate of George Washington . He was promoted to the rank of Admiral . Vernon was a notable opponent of the British government , and in the wake of the victory , as well as prior to the expedition , he was one of the advocates of a more belligerent approach towards Britain ' s enemies . The British Prime Minister Robert Walpole was placed under great pressure by the Opposition to launch similar raids along the Spanish coast . Although British control lasted just three weeks the effect on Porto Bello was devastating ; it was largely abandoned due to a complete re - organisation of Spanish trading practices designed to make them less vulnerable . The economy of the town did not recover fully until the construction of the Panama Canal nearly two centuries later .