Vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Maroto, 17th Duke of Veragua, 16th Duke of la Vega, 18th Marquess of Aguilafuente, 15th Marquess of Jamaica, GE (born 29 January 1925 – 6 February 1986) was a Spanish

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

officer, statesman and descendant of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

. He was, for four decades, Admiral of the Ocean Sea,

Admiral of the Indies Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of th ...

and Adelantado of the Indies, positions that had been held by his father and all of his direct paternal ancestors up to Christopher Columbus, who took on the duties with the

Discovery of America The human history of the Americas is thought to begin with people migrating to these areas from Asia during the height of an ice age. These groups are generally believed to have been isolated from the people of the "Old World" until the coming o ...

in 1492. In 1986, Colón de Carvajal and his personal driver were killed by

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

separatist group

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ETA, an acronym for ("Basque Homeland and Liberty"ETA BASQUE ORGANIZATION
Encyclo ...

(ETA), which had opened fire at the car they were travelling in and tossed a

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

inside, near

Paseo de la Castellana Paseo de la Castellana, commonly known as La Castellana, is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cutting across the city from south to north, it has been described as the "true structuring axis" of the city. History and description The street ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain. Along with the assassination of Carrero Blanco in 1973, he was the most prominent figure to have been assassinated by the organization.

Early life

Colón was born in

to a prominent noble family who held numerous titles in the peerage of Spain. His father, Ramón Colón de Carvajal y Hurtado de Mendoza, 16th

Duke of Veragua The Duchy of Veragua () is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain. It was also a Spanish hereditary domain created in 1537 in the reign of King Charles I in a small section of the territory of Veragua (''Gobernación de Veragua'', which h ...

was born in Madrid in 1898. His mother, María Eulalia Maroto y Pérez del Pulgar, was born in 1897 to the Marquess of Santo Domingo and his wife, the Marchioness of Pozoblanco. Through his mother, Colón was a great-grandson of

Carlist Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...

general

Rafael Maroto Rafael Maroto Yserns (October 15, 1783 – August 25, 1853) was a Spanish general, known both for his involvement on the Spanish side in the wars of independence in South America and on the Carlist side in the First Carlist War. Childhood ...

Career

Early career

He entered as an applicant at the

Escuela Naval Militar The Naval Military Academy (), at Marín, Pontevedra, Marín, Province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, in north-western Spain, is a coeducational naval academy that educates officers for commissioning primarily into the Spanish Navy and Spanish Navy Ma ...

in 1943, as a component of the 348 Promotion of the General Corps. He was promoted to

officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...

in 1945, to conclude his training at the Escuela Naval on 15 December 1948, at which time he was delivered the office of alférez de navío. His first post was in the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, 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 ...

of the Spanish Fleet, '' Canarias''.

Admiral of the Ocean Sea

With his commission as an officer in 1948, Colón succeeded his late father as

, Duke of la Vega, Admiral of the Ocean Sea,

and Adelantado of the Indies at the early age of 23. After being Second Commander of the Tugboat ''Cíclope'', he received the command of the patrolman ''Lanzón'' (V-18). When he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

of ship, he received the command of the coastguard ''Pegaso'', and after completing the specialist course in Submarine Weapons, he was handed the command of the tugboat in functions of Patrolman RR-20. He was promoted to

Corvette captain Corvette captain is a rank in many European and Latin American navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank is lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, the U ...

in 1964 and appointed second commander of the destroyer , later moving to the Ministry of the Navy. By this time Colón had already become popular amongst the navy staff, and had built a good reputation. He was promoted to the rank of

frigate captain Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain. It is usually equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander. Countries using this rank include Argenti ...

in 1975, and by Decree Law on 17 December 1977, he was given command of the ''Fletcher''-class destroyer ''Almirante Valdés'' (D-23) (former USS ''Converse'' (DD-509), one of the destroyers granted by the US) which he held until 18 June 1979. During his time as frigate captain, he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Salvation Society of the Shipwrecked, for having rescued the seventeen members of the fishing crew of Onubenses, which sunk. When he was promoted in 1980 to

ship captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...

, he was given the command of the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, 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 ...

, the

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing ...

Juan Sebastian Elcano ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philipp ...

''. As ship captain, he departed on 8 January 1981 from Cadiz with course to

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

, Balboa, crossed the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

and cruised to

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

and arrived to the Bay of Cádiz 3 August of the same year. He was promoted to the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in 1983, and continued with his duties within the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

and especially in the Institute of Naval History and Culture. In 1984 he was promoted to vice admiral, and went on to hold office in the Navy Staff.

Death

Assassination

The attack took place on Thursday 6 February 1986 at 10:20 a.m. His car, a brown Talbot 1800 driven by 55-year-old chauffeur Manuel Trillo, occupied by vice admiral Colón de Carvajal and his assistant, 45-year-old Antonio Rodríguez Toube, who was in the back seat of the car, was headed down Calle del Tambre from the corner with Balbina Valverde. The chauffeur had to reduce speed when reaching a narrow part of the road. According to witnesses, two young men "posted on both sides of the street, machine-gunned the vehicle in crossfire." Almost at the same time, one of the ETA members tossed a hand grenade inside the vehicle, while the other members of the commando continued firing from the opposite sidewalk. In spite of the bloodshed, commander Antonio Rodríguez Toube, Colón's personal assistant, was severely wounded but survived the attack almost miraculously.

Funeral

The funeral for the Duke of Veragua and driver Manuel Trillo was held the following morning, at the General Headquarters of the Navy, in Madrid. The remains of both victims were buried that afternoon.

Honours

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

* Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic *Grand Cross of the Order of the Civil recognition (posthumous) * Grand Cross of Naval Merit (white distinction) * Grand Cross of the Order of Christopher Columbus * Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild * Knight of the Order of Santiago * Cross of the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa * Cross of the Order of May * Cross of the Order of Merit of Chile *Cross of the Naval Merit of Peru *Cross of Naval Merit of Brazil *Cross of the Special Merit of Mexico *Commemorative medal of the 400th anniversary of the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

*Fellow of the

Royal Academy of History The Royal Academy of History (, RAH) is a Spanish institution in Madrid that studies history "ancient and modern, political, civil, ecclesiastical, military, scientific, of letters and arts, that is to say, the different branches of life, of ci ...

*Fellow of honour of the Royal Academy of Social and Natural Sciences of Extremadura *Fellow of the Italian Academy of History *Fellow of the Dominican Academy of History *Fellow of the Paraguayan Academy of History *Fellow of the Porto Rican Academy of History *Member of the Permanent Commission of the Deputation of the Grandeza of Spain *President of the Royal Body of Nobility of Madrid *President of the Royal Association of Noblemen of Spain *Spokesperson of the

Naval Museum of Madrid The Naval Museum () is a maritime museum, naval museum in Madrid, Spain, devoted to the history of the Spanish Navy since the Catholic Monarchs, in the 15th century, up to the present. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached ...

*Member of the Commission of the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of America *President and founder of the Italo-Hispanic Cultural Association "Christopher Columbus". *President of the Spanish Scouts (Bestowed with the "Silver Wolf", highest scout distinction)Enrique Genovés Guillén, El Lobo de Plata - Notas sobre su historia y su Cuadro de Honor, 1998, Dep. Legal M-26154, Madrid, p. 14-15.

Arms

References

External links

Tribute documentary of Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Maroto
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Carvajal, Cristóbal Colón de, 17th Duke of Veragua 1925 births 1986 deaths Assassinated nobility Cristobal Deaths by hand grenade Dukes of Spain Dukes of Veragua Grand Crosses of Naval Merit Grand Crosses of the Order of Christopher Columbus Grandees of Spain Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights of Santiago Nobility from Madrid People killed by ETA (separatist group) Recipients of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild 20th-century Spanish naval officers 1986 murders in Spain