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Admiral 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 ...
José Prudencio Padilla López ( Riohacha, 19 March 1784, –
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
,
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, 2 October 1828) was a Neogranadine military leader who fought in the
Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...
and a hero in the battles of independence for
Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...
(present-day
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
and
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
).
He was the foremost naval hero of the campaign for independence led by
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
, and the creator of the first Navy and Admiral of Great Colombia. He is best known for his victory in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo on 24 July 1823, in which a royalist Spanish fleet was defeated.


Life and career

His parents were Andres Padilla, who was a builder of small boats, and Lucia Lopez. He started life as a seaman at 14 years old in the service of merchant's vessels sailing between overseas ports and the Spanish homeland, and appeared as a porter at the Royal Spanish chamber of the
New Kingdom of Granada New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
.
On October 21, 1805, he received his baptism of fire at the
battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...
, where he served aboard the ''San Juan Nepomuceno'' where he would be wounded and taken prisoner by the English. In 1808, after his release he returned to Spain, where he was appointed to the
boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior Naval rating, rate of the deck department and is responsible for the ...
's arsenal at
Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
. On April 11, 1811, he took part in the decision of the people of Getsemani, who, in sympathy with the city of Cartagena, joined in the proclamation of independence of Cundinamarca, thus disregarding the authority of the metropolis. In 1814, he saw action at Tolu and captured a Royalist sloop of war with a crew of 170 that was heading to Panama. Although the ship he captured had more powerful guns than the one he commanded, it could not resist the attack and surrendered. In recognition of this, the Granadino government awarded Padilla with a promotion as the second frigate lieutenant. In 1815, he served under the command of
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
when he marched from Bogotá to free
Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...
. In
Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
, he was present at the siege by the army of General Pablo Morillo, which the Republicans attempted to hold, until it became impossible to resist the siege and the leaders fled by boat.
Later on he went to
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, and as Captain, he met Bolívar in
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
to reinforce the expedition which sailed from Los Cayos de San Luis on March 31, 1816, where he won the naval victory at Los Frailes (May 2), and conducted the landing at Carúpano (June 1). Afterwards, he was promoted to frigate captain and commander in chief of the riverine forces, where he made significant inroads over the province of Cumana. In 1819, he participated in the campaign of Casanare, in which he managed the transportation of troops and war material.
As second-in-command to Admiral
Luis Brión Felipe Luis Brión Detrox (July 6, 1782, Curaçao – September 27, 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He rose to the rank of admiral in the navies of Venezuela and the old Gran Colombia ...
he arrived at Riohacha on March 12, 1820, where he fought in the battles of Laguna Salada, Pueblo Viejo, Tenerife, La Barra, Ciénaga de Santa Marta and San Juan. Named commander-in-chief of the forces of the Republic that besieged Cartagena, he captured several Spanish vessels. On April 19, 1823, he was promoted to brigadier general of the Colombian Navy. This time he was invested with the office of commander-general of the Third Department of the Navy and of the Zulia Theater of Operations; on this position, he did a brilliant job that culminated on July 24, 1823, in the naval battle of Lake Maracaibo, in which he defeated the Spanish squadron, which led to the capitulation of the field marshal Francisco Tomás Morales the following August 3, 1823.


Incarceration and death

On November 24, 1826, he was promoted to general of division. However, at the beginning of 1828, Padilla was linked to an act of indiscipline in which several officers were involved in Cartagena, after which he was arrested and sent to prison in Bogotá on May 26, 1828. During the night of September 25, 1828, while Padilla was still in prison, an attack was carried out against the life of the Liberator ( Septembrine Conspiracy). Some 40 men assaulted the San Carlos Palace to assassinate Simón Bolívar, but he jumped out of the window and escaped. In the meantime, some conspirators scaled the walls of the building which served as a prison, to release Padilla and appoint him as their chief. Padilla seems to have refused and there is no record of his escape, but he was judged by a tribunal for the charge of conspiracy, then sentenced to death and executed in the Plaza de la Constitución in Bogotá on 2 October 1828. The remains of Admiral Padilla lie inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Remedios in Riohacha, which was declared in his honor as a Cultural Heritage of the Colombian nation.


Honors


Colombia

In Colombia, the airport of his hometown Riohacha, was named Almirante Padilla Airport in his honor. The Colombian Navy's Officer Academy, Escuela Naval de Cadetes Almirante Padilla, was also named in his honor. Several ships of the Colombian Navy have been named ARC ''Almirante Padilla'' in his honor, the current class of frigates that the ARC have in service are named ''Almirante Padilla''-class frigates and the first ship of this class that was laid down was named ARC ''Almirante Padilla'' (FM-51). There is also the Order of Naval Merit Admiral Padilla also named in his honor. In 2023, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Naval Battle of Lake Maracaibo the Central Bank of Colombia released a commemortaive coin with a value of $10,000 COP, the obverse side of the coin includes the image of Admiral José Padilla López with the inscription of the phrase "Morir o ser libres” (To die or to be free) which was a proclamation to his men before the historic battle started. The reverse side of the coin contains the coat of arms of the Colombian National Navy.


Venezuela

In Venezuela he is commemorated with the naming of the Almirante Padilla Municipality in
Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...
State. 2023


References


José Prudencio Padilla
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla Lopez, Jose Prudencio 1784 births 1828 deaths People from La Guajira Department Colombian people of Jamaican descent People of the Colombian War of Independence People of the Venezuelan War of Independence Admirals Colombian military personnel Colombian abolitionists Executed Colombian people People from Gran Colombia Viceroyalty of New Granada people