Attack on Nova Colonia by East India Company Privateers, 6 January 1763 during the Spanish-Portuguese War. The bombardment del Sacramento Uruguay
Original illustration from British Battles on Land and Sea circa 1880. Info from wiki: The ship was sold to privateers linked to the East India Company on 14 January 1762 and renamed Lord Clive. (Originally HMS Kingston 1697). The same year during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1761-1763, these privateers, fighting on the side of Portugal, had plans to conquer Spanish territory in South America and organised a raid on Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Their squadron, under the command of Robert McNamara from the East India Company, consisted of Lord Clive (60), Ambuscade (40), two Portuguese ships (among which were the frigate Gloria (38)) transporting 500 foot soldiers, and five storeships. On 2 November, the squadron sailed from Rio de Janeiro towards the mouth of the Río de la Plata but soon abandoned the project because Spanish defenders in both cities were fully alerted and well prepared. On 6 January 1763, McNamara decided to attack and retake Colonia do Sacramento also in Spanish hands. 60-gun Lord Clive and the 40-gun HMS Ambuscade, along with 38-gun Portuguese Gloria, anchored near the city and started bombardment, but they received unexpected strong resistance from the city's gun battery. After three hours of an exchange of fire, a fire developed on Lord Clive that quickly progressed until it reached her magazine, which exploded, sinking her. There were 272 fatalities on board, including McNamara. HMS Ambuscade and Gloria were badly damaged too, and retired from combat.
Size: 4929px × 3337px
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 6, 1763, adventurers, ambuscade, attack, attempt, badly, bombardment, clive, colonia, combat, command, company, damaged, de, del, east, engraving, fire, gloria, illustration, image, india, january, la, lord, mcnamara, nova, picture, plata, privateers, retake, retired, robert, sacramento, set, spain, spanish, spanish-portuguese, uruguay, victory, war, í
