Shipwreck and Mutiny in Spain’s Galleys on the Santo Domingo Station, 1583

Abstract

King Philip II delayed sending galleys to defend Santo Domingo from pirates, due to instability, corruption, and monetary chaos on the island of Hispaniola. The two galleys finally sent in 1582 soon met disaster, as the smaller galliot wrecked and a mutinous crew took over the remaining galley and held it for several months. The author contextualizes and analyzes the disaster, based on extensive documentation in Spanish archives. Until defenses were better organized from 1586 on, the island, its inhabitants, and its trade remained vulnerable to attack.

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Filed under: Tudors | Francis Drake | Other (Early Modern) | Pirates | Caribbean | Shipwrecks
Subjects include: Logistics | Manpower & Life at Sea | Pirates, Corsairs & Privateers | Strategy & Diplomacy