Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla (9 February 1711 - 31 July 1762) was a Spanish officer and naval commander in the

Royal Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

. He is known for his valiant defense during the

Siege of Havana The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with Fr ...

in 1762, during which he was killed in action.

Biography

Luis Vicente de Velasco was born in

Noja Noja is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a histori ...

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

, in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He enlisted in the Spanish navy and became a sailor at the age of 15 and saw his first action in an engagement at against a

Barbary corsair The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. This area was known in Europe as the ...

. He participated in the Conquest of Oran in 1732.

Battle of Havana and death

During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

the British sent an expedition against Cuba in 1762 with a fleet of 23 ships of the line, 11 frigates, 4 sloops, 3 bomb ketches, 1 cutter alongside 160 troop transports, consisting of 31,000 men in total. The Spanish forces opposing them had 11,670 men, 10 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 2 sloops and hundreds of cannons mounted on

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

's extensive fortifications. 10,000 soldiers disembarked under the command of

George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle KG PC (London, 8 April 1724 – 13 October 1772), styled Viscount Bury until 1754, was a British general and nobleman. He is best known for his decisive victory over the Spanish during capture of Havana i ...

and captured the heights, which the governor of Cuba,

Juan de Prado Juan de Prado (c. 1563 – 24 May 1631) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor. He served as part of the missions in Muslim Morocco at the request of Pope Urban VIII and brought much solace to ...

had left undefended.Pocock, Tom: Battle for Empire: The very first world war 1756-63. Chapter Six Velasco defended the vital

Morro Castle Morro Castle may refer to: Fortress * Morro Castle (Havana), a fortress guarding Havana Bay, Cuba * Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca The Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (also k ...

with 64 cannons and a garrison of 700 men. On 1 July the British launched a combined land and naval attack on the Morro. The fleet detached four ships of the line for this purpose: HMS ''Stirling Castle'', HMS ''Dragon'', HMS ''Marlborough'' and HMS ''Cambridge''.Thomas, Hugh: ''Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom'' 2nd edition. Chapter One The naval and land artilleries simultaneously opened fire on the Morro. However, the naval bombardment proved to be ineffective as the elevation of the fort proved too high for the cannons of the ships to effectively target the batteries, and the attack was called off. The fortress held out for another two months despite daily shelling, thanks to the effective leadership of Velasco. The resistance came to an end when Velasco died after being hit by a bullet in the chest. The Earl of Albemarle allowed the transfer of the heavily wounded Velasco to Havana, where British surgeons tried to save his life, but in vain; he died on 31 July 1762. The British and Spanish concluded a temporary truce to allow for his burial. Two weeks later, Havana was captured. The capture proved to be a humiliating Spanish defeat, as the entire garrison present were either killed or captured, alongside the fleet in the harbour (which the Spanish had neglected to burn) and one hundred merchantmen.

Legacy

Velasco was honoured by the Spanish for his bravery. King

Charles III of Spain it, Carlo Sebastiano di Borbone e Farnese , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = 20 January 1716 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain , death_d ...

had a statue of him erected in Meruelo, ordered a navy ship to be named in his honour, and gave his brother Iñigo José de Velasco the title of ''Marquess of Velasco''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velasco, Luis Vicente 1711 births 1762 deaths People from Trasmiera Military personnel from Cantabria Sailors from Cantabria Spanish naval officers