Battle in the Bay of Matanzas

Overview

In 1628, Admiral Piet Hein, with Witte de With as his flag captain, sailed out to capture the Spanish treasure fleet loaded with silver from their American colonies. With him was Admiral Hendrick Lonck, and he was later joined by a squadron of Vice-Admiral Joost Banckert. Part of the Spanish fleet in Venezuela had been warned because a Dutch cabin boy had lost his way on Blanquilla and was captured, betraying the plan, but the other half from Mexico continued its voyage, unaware of the threat.

On the evening of the engagement, the Spanish fleet, bound for the Bay of Matanzas, succeeded in entering the bay ahead of the Dutch forces as night fell and deliberately ran their ships aground in shallow water. The following day, Admiral Piet Hein launched an attack with his boats, whereupon the Spanish vessels promptly surrendered without terms. As a result, at the cost of only minimal casualties, the Dutch captured the following cargo:

• 177,537 pounds of silver (in chests and bars)
• 135 pounds of gold
• 37,375 hides
• 2,270 chests of indigo
• 7,961 pieces of logwood
• 735 chests of cochineal
• 235 chests of sugar

Altogether, Hein captured 11,509,524 guilders (half a billion Euros in today's money; £1 million using sterling/guilder exchange rates in the 1620s) of booty in gold, silver, and expensive trade goods, such as indigo and cochineal, without any bloodshed.

The Dutch didn't keep their prisoners: they gave the Spanish crews ample supplies for a march to Havana. The released men were surprised to hear the admiral personally giving them directions in fluent Spanish; Hein after all was well acquainted with the language as he had been a Spanish prisoner after 1603. The taking of the treasure was the Dutch West India Company's greatest victory in the Caribbean.