1740 and the British in the Spanish are fighting over the Americas again (II)

 

The short version is 140 out of 247 men survived the shipwreck in the voyage up to that point, but only 36 would make it back home to Great Britain, either by crossing South America on foot or sailing around Cape Horn in a dinghy. Anson was now alone, this trusty old ship, the Centurion having been completely separated from the entire rest of his squadron. The only thing he could do was go to the prearranged rendezvous points. He reached Socorro Island. The first rendezvous, on the 8th of May, 1741.  The Centurion waited two whole weeks, but to no avail. Anson then decided to head to the next and final run, a viewpoint to see if any of his ships had made it there instead. Unfortunately, when he arrived at the island that was the next round of you, it wasn't there. There weren't other ships there. The island itself was missing. His charts were wrong. Anson in his navigators had to spend the next two weeks searching for the island as it was their only hope of meeting up with the rest of their fleet. They went as far east as to spot the mountains of the mainland before turning around. Eventually, after searching back west, the island of Juan Fernandez was spotted on the 9th of June. The island they had thought was only 135 miles off the coast of South America had actually been 360 miles off of the coast. Due to this navigational error, combined with the weakened state of the crew, 75 men died in the extra time it took them to find the island.  But despite this fatal spin of the wheel misfortune, the disaster actually brought them extremely good. But getting lost in spending an extra two weeks at sea, they just missed the Spanish patrol that had given up waiting for them. It had literally just left Juan Fernandez days before they arrive. Despite having spotted the new refuge, were only eight crew who were fit enough to actually help bring the ship into anchor at the island. This ship originally left England with 400. As Anson in this once proud flagship limped into the only safe anchorage on the island, he and his crew were quickly disquieted by the fact that there was nobody else there. They had come here. They were the only ones here, and they figured they would be the ones coming late. But almost immediately after arriving, a tiny sail was seen struggling into the bay. Trial had made it in. After more than six weeks after dispersal of the squadron, the largest and the smallest Anson’s vessels arrived at Juan Fernandez. The Trial have not fared much better than the Centurion, as over half of its crew in Marines had died on the 21st of June 1741, weeks after first getting to the island. Shockingly, another ship turned up at the rendezvous. This time goes the Glouchester, limping in with only 92 out of 254 men due to how little men? It actually worked to ship. It took an entire month until they could safely arrive on July 23rd with their fellowships.  Even more shocking is when, months later, in the middle of August, the tiny cargo ship Anna strolled into the harbour without difficulty. They had apparently been living it up in Chile for two months before deciding to go looking for the rendezvous.Juan Fernandez was actually quite a great refuge for the weekend sailors, having plenty of fresh water, food and resources to fix their ships. Even so, the Anna was deemed too damaged to continue. By September of 1741, Anson  and his crew are ready to set sail again. But before leaving, he took stock of how many men he had left and realised that of the 961 that had left on the ships he now had with him, 626 had died. He had 335 men and three ships left of the over 1900 men in eight ships had left with.Despite the complete loss of the Wager, the return of the Seven and Pearl to England, and roughly the loss of 2/3 of the men in the remaining crew of the Centurion Glouchester, Trial and Anna were able to regain their strength and recover from their illnesses. And surprisingly, this is actually where the fortune of the crew started to change for the better, at least temporarily. And his first goal after recovering is to discover any sort of news, as the fleet had been completely cut off from outside contact for nine months since they left Brazil. Anson did not even know if Great Britain and Spain remained at war after leaving Juan Fernandez this century, and quickly captured the Spanish cargo ship Boisterous in your Adela Montecarmelo, which had given the news that indeed they were still at war with Spain. This was the go ahead that answer needed to start wreaking havoc along the Spanish coast. With the ships and crew he had left, he sent the Glouchester the next largest vessel behind the Centurion. Newly captured Carmelo stayed together.Tiny Trial , smaller ship and had been repeatedly damaged.  Managed to actually capture a Spanish cargo ship three times her size transferred its crew and Gunstar they sank to try out and became the crew of there are on Zazu which they had fittingly renamed The Ttrial’s prize the Centurion sees two more ships where they then learned that Glouchester was in danger as it had been spotted by the Spanish.aware of its presence at heights hanson decided to attack pitso immediately as most of the troops who were supposed to be used in ground operations have been invalids and were now dead there is no longer any possibility or even faint hope of ever taking the major port ofWhich?After they were done, they burned down the entire town except for the churches and saying all the ships in the harbour except one and taking that one with them. OK, maybe a little bit like.After reuniting with Glouchester, which had taken two ships on its own and send, it decided to take his new fleet of eight ships to Acapulco to try and intercept the Fame Manila Galleon, which was do import within the next several months. As there is no hope of taking the port with so few men whose decided they would lie in wait for the ship nearby is also worth noting, in the seven months since the last major disasters, only two men had died.It shows what good nutrition from the islands and calm weather can do for a fleet of ships and their crew. Unfortunately for Ant and his crew and their first run of bad fortune and months, they had missed the Fame Manila galleon and even their attempt at capturing the outgoing ship from Acapulco was thwarted, as the Spanish had by that point been alerted to the British fleet in the area and were smart enough to not send out an unguarded ship.It is worth noting the ants and wasn't in a great place. He was stuck in an ocean controlled mainly by a power that he was trying to fight and to escape he had to navigate Cape Horn again, which had almost sunk his ships multiple times. If only there was a way that didn't involve.Right. Yeah, of course this was now the plan to get back and to avoid the pretty horrifying Cape, they could just keep going West. This was now an impromptu circumnavigations. Although Anson had many ships, he didn't now have the adequate crew to sail them or properly so to solve this problem before.Crossing he consolidated his fleet, moving all the crews prisoners in cargo onto the Centurion and Gloucester, and then sinking the captured Spanish ships, including the trials prize to stop them from falling back into enemy hands. Now with the fleet down to a more evasive and properly crewed pair of vessels, they set out West on the 6th of May.1742 As is seemingly traditional at this point, they misjudged how long the crossing would take, estimating it would take them only about two months to cross Pacific and make it China, where the plan was to refit their ships and then head home to England. In reality, it would actually take them six months, which was once again largely down to navigational errors.And wind that refused to take them any great distance. This must have been infuriating for the men who at this point, if they had survived this long, had been at sea for coming up on two years. We're now seemingly stuck wandering in the middle of the Pacific, literally on the other side of the world to home. To add to this, an since idea to consolidate the fleet came back to bite them.Now, although the individual ships were adequately crude, there were also individually less expendable when what little wind there was broke the masts of both gunships. The fleet was now largely crippled in the crews were forced to make makeshift repairs while they died of scurvy, and their damaged ships started to leak by July.Gloucester was taking in so much water 7 feet deep in the hole, despite constant pumping, that she began to sink despite the Centurion not being much more float from the Gloucester. Anson was forced to transfer the crew and cargo from the sinking ship, and once everyone was off the Gloucester, she was set on fire to make sure she didn't drift into Spanish territory. George Anson.Now essentially Captain of the Centurion and not much more. His fleet has been reduced to a single vessel, and even that ship, which had been with Handsome for years through disaster after disaster, was now sinking as well, coupled with that answer, was also losing his crew. About nine men a day were dying and his crew was being stretched.Thinner and thinner, to the point where Reportedly even Answer himself had to man the pumps to combat the flooding. Their only hope were for the unreliable winds to carry them towards land. Any land, even Spanish land, was better than drowning in the open ocean, but the wind and their survival was out of their hands.In the seesaw fortune that was George Anson's luck, they actually found land. It may have been Guam, the Spanish colony, but they would certainly been imprisoned. Not best outcome but at least it was land. But in fact they had not discovered mainland long that the island of Tenby and just to the north, which was being used to store supplies from the Spanish Garrison of Guam, but was only guarded by one Spaniard.You would think guarding the supply for the guard would be someone important. The time they reached their News Island refuge on the 27th of August 1742, only 71 of the crew was able to perform even white duties, while the other 121 had to be carried ashore. 21 were in such bad condition they died immediately after landing. Of course their peaceful stay on Tinnion.In the night of September 18, the store in literally blew the Centurion Alta Sea with the 190 those on board, which is really not enough men as it was supposed to have 400 full comma.From two years at sea is left 107 men waking up on the next morning to find out they were stranded on the island. Answered Who's among those on the island Nude at the Centurion could have easily sunk or be prevented from coming back east due to the strong winds.As a Centurion was under crude still have substantial leak that had not been repaired.He started to prepare for reality that he and his remaining men were stuck on Tenby.Their hopes of salvation were extremely live.Any ship passing the island was most likely to be Spanish making waiting for a passing ship not an option. The only other choice was to try and use the at Max 30 person vote which was left on the island by the Spanish and was normally used to transfer supplies to Guam to get somewhere else. There were obviously multiple problems with this.Make it easily made its equality, but then they would have ended up in a Spanish prison right to gaol right away to the boat could only hold three people, while there are well over 100 on the island.And finally decided was to have the remaining ship carpenters lengthen the boat as much as possible and sale 2000 miles West to Macau with over 100 men.Yeah.However, was not forced to make that terrible choice is After 19 days, this centurion miraculously returned.Even answer, who is noted as being characteristically reserved in Stow, it was overcome with joy at the seeing the return of this ship, it's true, had struggled for weeks to keep it afloat and bring it back against the harsh winds.And although it got blown off the island again in another storm, jeez, they really can't catch a break and they're able to return after only 5 days.On the 20th of October 1742, after nearly two months on the island and still have your massively ship finally set out West from Macau and China, reaching A neutral port on November 11 for the first time since Brazil.After some initial reluctance to help the British ship from local Portuguese and Chinese authorities sensing they were hosting pirates.I mean obviously work.The ship was then careened for repairs and the crew would be enough relatively safe port for next seven months while the ship was refitted. Hanson made it publicly known while he was in Macau that he'll be returning immediately for England and had no intention of capturing any more ships for committing any acts of war.All those things.After leading the cow on the 19th of April 1743, he informed the crew that he had every intention of trying one last ditch effort to capture the Acapulco Galion before it arrived in Manila, which was the only goal the animal T had given him that he had any reasonable hope of still achieving.The crew was supposedly elated at the news, which is quite surprising to me. After they had been gone for over 2 years, I thought they might have wanted to return straight away, but after having suffered so much already, the prospect of taking one of the richest ships on the ocean and getting a cut of the loop was deemed worthy instead of returning home empty handed. It also didn't help that they had essentially accomplished none of the goals originally given by the Admiralty.With only 227 men and one ship left, compared to 18154 men and seven ships they set out with, they arrived in Cape Espiritu Santo in the Philippines on the 20th of May 1743 to await their target. They have been chasing for years and one last ditch effort.And it's a company Mountain was where the Spanish ships coming from Mexico with first sight land and use it to guide them on their final course to Manila. All the crew of the century and had to do now is wait for their target to come to them.After waiting a month in here about to give up hope, it was almost the end of the month and time is running out for failing to arrive.The ship was spotted forge southeast.I mean, who wouldn't? After finally spotting the ship, even after four years, there will probably be filled with massive amounts of treasure by later in the morning. They were sure it was their prize. Even better, it was completely alone and unguarded as it as worship had run aground somewhere. I'm starting to get the sense that selling It's time for you, for everyone, was just a terrible experience.Just now getting.As well as being unguarded, the Spanish Galleon had ignored calls from locals to take a longer route to avoid the century in the Spanish galleon even sell directly at the Centurion Shock, the Hanson industry. To be honest, this ones all in the Spanish.

There almost shocking turn of fortune answered and his crew absolutely annihilated the noise. Stress in your to Covadonga raking her with their 24 pounder guns.After about an hour and a half, the Spanish suffered 151 casualties, 67 men killed in 8400, compared to the British who only 18 casualties one person killed in 17 win.After gruelling nearly three-year journey, his original goals have been to capture Peru Panel and hassle the Spanish treasure galleon. George Anson and his surviving crew had at last accomplished at least one of their goals. I'll be up the smallest one by capturing the Covadonga Anthonys true captured over 34 1/2 tonnes of silver from the Spanish mines in South America that have been destined for.According to one historian who was perhaps the greatest prize ever captured by British ships at that time, the expedition had finally achieved it, saying, well, one of them, and had done it spectacularly. Crew that had suffered what at this point was years of disease and parallel flows, all of us.Almost drowning in.You can perhaps forgive them after returning to Macau thinking about finally going home. In preparation, they sold the Gallant, which they didn't need for the journey back. While they're at it refitted the Centurion On the 15th of December 1743 / 3 years after they left Portsmouth, the remaining crew set sail.Given the luck that they had this well, you would expect a route to take in the past. Krakatoa, across two oceans and around the yet another cave might be similarly dense with adventures. However, I'm quite shocked, but still pleased to report that they made it home without incident, making it to Portsmouth on the 15th of June 17.

Three years, eight months and 28 days after their departed.

The original crew of the Centurion, Gloucester, Trinal and Anna had left Portsmouth at the very beginning, numbered in total about 800 men. These had, over the course of the voyage, all been consolidated onto the Centurion. When she sailed back into the Solent, 188 were left.If you include those that split off midway, those of the industry, those in the shipwreck of the Wager, and the two that had retreated, survivor figures for the whole fleet are just 500 men of the 1900, but left with 1400 dying of disease or starvation of the disabled men originally brought in from the hospital, we can safely say the mortality.But quite surprisingly, the death rate of the young soldiers is similarly bad. Within a year aboard the Gloucester, all sixty men from the hospital had died, and only two of the 46 Marines were hanging on. Things were similarly depressing aboard the other ships, and we have no idea if any of them made it.If they did, it would have only been a couple of the 500 ordered a board.Upon their return, answered in his remaining crew became instant war heroes as their capturing of a treasure galleon was one of the few victories in the larger war.The decision by Anthem to risk his ship and crew in one last effort to take a Spanish galleon hit off enormously in fame and fortune. Treasure itself was paraded through the streets of London in 32 waggons that years of crowds, musical fans and even attracted the interest of the Prince of Wales before it reached the Tower of London, where we held before it would be divided between the crew.Himself in the crown.George Anson received £91,000 from dividing with treasure, compared to the 719 pounds he made a standard pay as Commodore during his entire voyage.Would have received about 300 pounds from the Treasury, which seems like a fitness for all the trouble they went through what was worth about 20 years pay.Against this disastrous voyage became a saving grace.Did you come from being an obscure Commodore in the British Navy, becoming a British naval hero that had won a victory despite the harrowing conditions he would write? His new fame and fortune, became the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1751. In local life is a rich British aristocrat flying the largest state of Moor Park in Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, Hereford.Thank you.The daughter of an Earl, all of his cut of the money stolen from the Spanish.What happens to the old Centurion, the only ship that survived the whole circle navigation, I hear you ask?Actually went on to serve in the Royal Navy for another 25 years. Was actually able to be broken up at home in England instead of lying at the bottom of the summer.That wasn't before she was able to serve with their old captain one more time. Issues in the fleet, those commanded by now Admiral George Anson, that defeated France in the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747.

But as with most things in history, the voyage passed into the haze of public memory in the grand prize that was once shared by all of London in the Prince of Wales was forgotten.And even though this voyage would become overshadowed by other feats of the Royal Navy and become forgotten in public memory, it is still at the very least a tale of heroism and resilience of a ship for Commodore Enter crew succeeding against the many, many odds stacked against them.I would like to thank the story in Glen Williams for his book on the Subject Prize of All the Oceans as it was an invaluable asset in writing the script and would encourage anyone who wants to know more about this subject to check it out.