Vicente Catalan was a Cuban-Filipino of Criollo descent known for his mutiny against his Spanish naval officers in the 800-ton steamer of the Compania Tobacco De Filipinas seized by its Filipino Crew who killed the Spanish Officers. The

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

mutineers were led by the Ship's Second Officer, the Cuban Vicente Catalan who took over as the Ship's Captain and proclaimed himself Admiral of the Filipino Navy. Making themselves under the Command of General Emilio Aguinaldo, Vicente Catalan was commissioned as a Navy Captain in the Philippine Revolutionary Navy. The steamer now rechristened as

FILIPINAS Filipinas may refer to: * ''Filipinas, letra para la marcha nacional'', the Spanish poem by José Palma that eventually became the Filipino national anthem. * The original Spanish name, and also used in different Philippines languages including F ...

was then armed with Cannons captured in Cavite and provided Naval Gunfire Support to the Revolutionaries as well as a Transport. The

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

was reinforced by merchant ships such as the Taaleño, Balayan and Purisima Conception that had been donated to the insurgent forces. Admiral Catalan with his Filipino sailors helped seize Subic Bay. The mutiny and seizure of the ship FILIPINAS became an international cause when the Germans objected to the Filipino flag and the French demanded the ship's return to them, claiming they actually owned it.Comprehensive History of the Philippine Navy by Joselito Zulueta
/ref> Despite the diplomatic backlash from foreign powers, the international incident drew attention to the increasingly aggressive campaign of the Filipinos to oust the Spaniards and establish an independent republic.

References

Cuban soldiers Philippine Army Philippine Navy Latin America