Battle in the Bay of Matanzas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle in the Bay of Matanzas
Part of the Eighty Years' War
Piet Hein capturing the Spanish silver fleet during the battle. The Story of New Netherland (1909).
Date 7 September–8 September 1628 Location Near Matanzas, Cuba Result Dutch victory Capture of the Spanish treasure fleet by the Dutch
Belligerents
United Provinces	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Piet Hein Witte de With	Juan de Benavides Bazán
Strength
31 vessels	21 vessels
Casualties and losses
No casualties	12 vessels captured Minimal casualties

The Battle in the Bay of Matanzas was an important sea battle. It happened during the Eighty Years' War. In this battle, a Dutch fleet managed to defeat and capture a Spanish treasure fleet. This Spanish fleet was carrying lots of valuable items.

A Daring Plan to Capture Treasure

In 1628, Admiral Piet Pieterszoon Hein led a Dutch fleet. His goal was to capture the Spanish treasure fleet. This Spanish fleet was bringing silver from their colonies in America. Witte de With was his main captain, known as his flag captain. Admiral Hendrick Lonck was also with them. Later, Vice-Admiral Joost Banckert and his ships joined them.

The Spanish Fleet is Caught

Part of the Spanish fleet, coming from Venezuela, got a warning. A young Dutch cabin boy had gotten lost and was captured. He accidentally told the Spanish about the Dutch plan. But the other half of the Spanish fleet, coming from Mexico, did not know. They continued their journey, unaware of the danger.

The Dutch ships found sixteen Spanish ships.

• One large Spanish ship, called a galleon, was captured by surprise at night.
• Nine smaller merchant ships were convinced to surrender.
• Two small ships were caught at sea.
• Four more fleeing galleons were trapped. They were cornered on the coast of Cuba in the Bay of Matanzas.

After some shots from Dutch small boats called sloops, these last ships also gave up.

The Huge Treasure

Admiral Hein captured a massive amount of treasure. It was worth about 11.5 million guilders. This included gold, silver, and expensive goods. Some of these goods were indigo (a blue dye) and cochineal (a red dye). The amazing part was that no one was killed in this capture.

The Dutch did not keep the Spanish sailors as prisoners. They gave them plenty of supplies. This allowed the Spanish crews to walk to Havana. The released men were surprised when Admiral Hein spoke to them in perfect Spanish. Hein knew the language well because he had been a Spanish prisoner himself years before. Capturing this treasure was the biggest success for the Dutch West India Company in the Caribbean.

What Happened Next

The money from this capture was very important. It helped pay the Dutch army for eight months. This allowed the army to capture the strong fortress of 's-Hertogenbosch. The people who owned shares in the Dutch West India Company were also very happy. They received a 50% extra payment that year.

Admiral Hein returned to the Netherlands in 1629. He was celebrated as a great hero. He stood on a balcony in Leiden and watched the cheering crowds. He told the town mayor, "Now they praise me because I got rich without any danger. But before, when I risked my life in real battles, they didn't even know I existed." He was the first and only person to capture such a large part of a Spanish "silver fleet" from the Americas. These fleets were usually very well protected.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de la Bahía de Matanzas para niños