Spanish ship Monarca (1794) facts for kids
The Monarca was a powerful warship in the Spanish Navy. It was a "74-gun ship of the line," which means it was a large sailing ship with 74 cannons. These ships were called "ships of the line" because they fought in a line formation during battles. The Monarca was ordered on September 28, 1791. It was built in the Reales Astilleros de Esteiro shipyard and launched into the water on March 17, 1794.
The ship was designed by José Romero Fernández de Landa. It belonged to the San Ildefonso group of ships. Its main cannons were on two full decks. The lower deck had twenty-eight 24-pounder cannons. The upper deck had thirty 18-pounder cannons. It also had smaller 8-pounder cannons on its quarterdeck and forecastle, but these changed over time.
History of the Monarca
The Monarca went through special tests between September and November 1794. It was tested against another ship, the Montañés, which was also launched in 1794. These tests were to see which ship design was better. The Montañés was designed by Julián Martín de Retamosa, who took over from Romero de Landa. The tests were watched by José Justo Salceno, and the Montañés was found to be the better design.
The Monarca then joined a group of ships led by Juan de Lángara. It helped defend the town of Roses in Spain.
The Battle of Trafalgar
The Monarca took part in the famous battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. At this time, Captain Teodoro Argumosa y Bourke was in command. During the battle, the Monarca was attacked very closely by two British ships, HMS Mars and HMS Tonnant. These ships broke through the French and Spanish battle line.
Another British ship, HMS Bellerophon, came up behind the Tonnant at 12:30 PM. It fired two powerful broadsides (all its cannons on one side) into the Monarca. The Monarca was badly damaged. About 100 of its crew were killed, and 150 were wounded.
A group of 55 British Royal Marines captured the Monarca. However, the night after the battle, the Spanish crew who survived managed to overpower the marines. They forced the marines off the ship and left them in the stormy sea.
After the Battle
On October 24, the surviving Spanish crew tried to fix the ship's rudder. They hoped to sail back to Cadiz because the weather was getting better. But an hour later, another British ship, HMS Leviathan, chased them. The Leviathan also rescued the British marines and some Spanish sailors who had survived the storm.
On October 28, the Monarca ran aground, meaning it got stuck in shallow water. This happened on the Arenas Gordas coast near Huelva, between Torre de la Higuera and Torre del Asperillo. The ship was left lying on its side. To make sure the ship could not be used again, a British frigate called HMS Naiad destroyed it with its cannons on October 31.
See also
- Spanish ship Monarca (1756)
- In Spanish: Monarca (1794) para niños
