Captain general of the Navy Captain general of the Navy () is the highest naval officer rank of the Spanish Navy, rated OF-10 with the Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO ranking system. The routine honorary appointments formally ceased in 1999. The rank of captain general ...

José de Solano y Bote, 1st Marquess of Socorro (March 6, 1726 – March 24, 1806) was a

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 ...

officer and colonial administrator.

Biography

He served an extensive career in the

starting at the age of 16 until his death in 1806. Shortly after joining the Navy in 1742, he participated in the Battle of Toulon against the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. As a result of his performance in that battle he was promoted to the rank of ''

alférez de fragata In Spain in the Middle Ages, medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the Medieval household, household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic language, Arabic (''Furusiyya, al-f� ...

''. In 1754 he was promoted to the rank of '' capitán de fragata'' and sent to the Americas as a

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

named by the King with the objective of helping with the demarcation of the limits between Spain and Portugal's holdings. During this charge Solano spent seven years traveling the

Orinoco River The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...

and its tributaries as well as making several trips to Bogota in pursuit of additional funding from the Viceroy to support his efforts. When he concluded his assignment he was promoted to the rank of '' Capitán de Navío'' in 1761. In 1762, after war broke out with Britain, he took command of '' Rayo'', a

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

built in

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

from 1763 to 1770 and later

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and Captain General of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

(1771–79).

American Revolutionary War

He commanded a Spanish squadron during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. For his role in the

Siege of Pensacola The siege of Pensacola, fought from March 9 to May 10, 1781, was the culmination of Spain's conquest of West Florida during the Gulf Coast Campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The siege was commanded by Bernardo de Gálvez, whose near ...

where he came to the aid of Governor

Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid, 1st Count of Gálvez (23 July 1746 – 30 November 1786) was a Spanish military leader and government official who served as colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New S ...

in March 1781, Solano was promoted to lieutenant general in 1782. He became the General Captain of the Armada in 1804.

References

* Jose Luis Santalo Rodriguez de Viguri (1973). Don Jose Solano y Bote, Primer Marques del Socorro Capitan General de la Armada. Instituto Historico de Marina, Madrid. I.S.B.N. 84-00-03891-6 {{DEFAULTSORT:Solano Y Bote, Jose 1726 births 1806 deaths People from the Province of Cáceres Captain generals of the Navy Spanish admirals Spanish military personnel of the American Revolutionary War