Pieter Ita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita
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Naval engagement at Havana and Bahía de Matanzas, 1628
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| Born | |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Corsair |
| Allegiance | Netherlands |
| Years active | 1620s |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
| Commands | Walcheren |
| Battles/wars | Eighty Years' War |
Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita was a famous Dutch sailor from the 1600s. He was a privateer, which means he was allowed by his country to attack enemy ships. He was also an important leader, called an admiral, in the Dutch West India Company. In 1628, he led a huge group of ships to fight against Spanish and Portuguese interests in the Caribbean Sea. This trip was one of the biggest of its kind back then.
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About Pieter Ita
Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita became a very strong corsair (another word for privateer) while fighting Spain. This was during a long conflict known as the Eighty Years' War. The Dutch West India Company then made him an admiral. They put him in charge of a large fleet of ships. Their mission was to attack Spanish and Portuguese ships and lands in the Caribbean and near Brazil.
This fleet also carried Dutch settlers to the island of Tobago. These settlers traveled on a ship called the Fortuin, led by Captain Geleyn van Stapels.
The Journey Begins
In January 1628, the twelve ships left different ports in the Netherlands. They planned to sail straight to the Caribbean. They would meet up near Cuba. The last ship to leave was the Fortuin, carrying 63 settlers. It left with its escort ship, the Zuidsterre, on March 3, 1628.
About two weeks later, on March 15, the fleet gathered at St. Vincent. This island is near Barbados, north of present-day Tobago. Ita immediately told his fleet to split into smaller groups. They started attacking local ships. He also used his smaller ships, like sloops, to scout ahead and gather information.
Capturing the Honduran Treasure Fleet
On May 8, another ship, the Eendracht, joined the fleet. It had captured a Portuguese ship earlier but had to leave it when it started sinking. On May 17, the Cuba also joined them. The last ship to arrive was the Fortuin. It met the fleet near Haiti on June 4. This was a little over three months after it had left port.
Ita took most of his fleet to the west coast of Cuba. Along the way, his ships captured several Portuguese vessels. Some Portuguese prisoners told Ita where the Spanish treasure ships sailed. These ships carried valuable goods from Honduras to Portugal.
The Spanish Get Ready
However, Ita and his forces had lost their element of surprise. The Governor of Honduras knew the Dutch were in the area. He told the Spanish ships to wait before sailing. The Spanish fleet had two large galleons (big sailing ships) and ten well-armed merchant ships. They also received extra weapons and supplies. These preparations made the Spanish commander, Admiral Alvaro De la Cerda, feel safe. He believed his fleet was protected from Ita's forces.
Meanwhile, Ita's expedition had sailed around the Cape of San Antonio. They were looking for ships north of Havana. Ita's fleet soon found two galleons from Honduras. These were the Nossa Senhora de los Remedios and the St. Jago. They were arriving near Havana harbor.
The Battle Begins
When Ita's forces moved to block the galleons from entering Havana, the Spanish ships tried to escape. The Dutch ship Leeuwinne tried to stop one of the galleons. But it could not get close enough to board. As the Leeuwinne chased the fleeing galleon, both ships got stuck on a sandbank (a shallow area of sand). Even stuck, the ships kept firing muskets and cannons at each other. During this fight, the Leeuwinne lost its main mast.
While this battle was happening, the Fortuin and the Dolfijn chased the other Spanish galleon. It also ran aground on the same sandbank. The two Dutch ships had to stay far away. They did not know the exact location of the sandbank. So, they kept firing from a distance. The Leeuwinne was caught in the middle of this cannon fire. It suffered even more damage. Many of its crew members were killed, including its commander, Captain Jan Pieterszoon.
Ita managed to stop most of the help sent from Havana. Ita's main ship, the Walcheren, soon joined the fight. After several tries, the Walcheren finally managed to board one of the galleons. They used the Fortuin to help them get close. The other galleon was also abandoned when the Kater, the Eendracht, and the Vriessche arrived.
By the time the Spanish finally gave up, more than half of their original crew and reinforcements (about 600 men) had been killed. The Spanish commander, Admiral Alvaro de la Cerda, barely escaped. Later, back in Spain, both his report and the report from the Governor of Havana, Laurenzo de Cabrera, said he was not to blame for losing the two galleons.
After the Battle
Ita's forces had very few losses compared to the Spanish. Only 13 were killed and about 50 were wounded. All of these happened on the Fortuin. Both the Leeuwinne and the captured Nossa Senhora de los Remedios were pulled free from the sandbank. However, the St. Jago was left behind. Its cargo was moved to the other ship. After setting fire to the St. Jago, Ita ordered his fleet to leave. Another Spanish fleet was expected to arrive soon.
Ita and his fleet sailed towards Florida. But the captured Nossa Senhora de los Remedios soon started taking on water. Ita did not want to risk sailing it across the Atlantic Ocean. So, he ordered its cargo to be shared among his other ships. He then had the Nossa Senhora de los Remedios burned about a mile off the Florida coast on August 15.
The expedition finally returned to the Dutch Republic in September 1628. They had captured two galleons, twelve barges, and several small ships. The total value of the goods they brought back was worth 1.2 million gilders (a type of money). Their cargo included 2,398 chests of indigo (a blue dye), 6,176 dry animal skins, and 266 packets of sarsaparilla (a plant used in medicine). They also brought back 27 jars of oil, 7,000 pounds of ginger, 12 bronze cannons, 28 iron cannons, and 52 pounds of silver.
After Ita's expedition left, Spanish officials mistakenly thought the Dutch had left the Caribbean. Because of this, the Spanish treasure fleet was not well protected. Another Dutch privateer, Piet Heyn, took advantage of this. He successfully captured the fleet later that year.
Later Adventures
In June 1630, Ita returned to the Caribbean. He visited the Cayman Islands with Dirck de Ruyter. They planned to hunt turtles. During this time, they also attacked Spanish ships along the Florida Channel and western Cuba.
