| Title | Spanish 300 ton ship |
| Origtitle | White Puerto Rican Fortification |
| Source | John White Drawings UNC 1964 |
| Date | 1585 |
| Creator | John White |
| Type | drawing |
| Origin | Scans from UNC 1964 |
Santa Maria de San Vicente (fl. 1585); The Santa Maria de San Vicente was the flagship of the Santo Domingo squadron of the Spanish Fleet, captained by Alonzo Cornieles and piloted by one Pedro Diaz. At 300 or 400 tons (accounts vary) she was a rather large and richly laden ship which, while straggling from the flota, was captured by Richard Grenville on the Tiger on 31 August 1585 just as the Tiger was beginning her voyage back to England from the 1585 Roanoke Expedition. Evidently upon sighting the Tiger the Santa Maria fired off a friendly salute, at which the Tiger opened fire on the Santa Maria, kicking off a short battle which ended with the Spanish ship quickly surrendering. In a letter to Sir Francis Walsingham, Grenville claimed that the Santa Maria had fired on them first, and that only after this ill-advised initiation of hostilities did the Tiger take her in self-defense after a valiant fight. Whether or not this was simply an excuse or whether Grenville had truly interpreted the Spanish salute as an assault is unclear. Regardless, once the Spanish had surrendered, Grenville went over with twenty men on a makeshift boat made of pieces of sea chests (implying that Grenville had left his pinnace and ship boats with the other colonists), which broke apart out from under his feet just as he and his men had boarded the Santa Maria. Subsequently, twenty Spanish prisoners were transferred from the Santa Maria to the Tiger, and the two ships travelled together, bound for England, from 31 August to 10 September, at which point they were separated in a storm. The Santa Maria, needing food, sailed for the Azores, landing in Flores in early October, where the Spanish prisoners were put ashore and supplies were obtained. On 18 October 1585 Grenville and the Santa Maria reached Plymouth.; The value of this prize is difficult to figure, particularly given the substantial controversy that arose following its arrival in England. Grenville officially valued the prize at 15,000 pounds, making the voyage a profit through profiteering, and underlining Grenville and Raleigh’s case that colonization and exploration could be financed through privateering. One source notes that there were “no less than 40,000 ducats worth of gold, silver and pearls” along with cochineal and ivory. On the other hand, the Spanish estimated the value of the vessel at 50,000 pounds, and it was rumoured by some to have been worth as much as one million ducats, spurring accusations against Grenville of embezzlement. That said, Quinn notes that it was typical of the period for privateers to hide the true value of their prize profit from the crown, but not from investors, thus complicating the process and perhaps explaining how the investors profited regardless of the true value of the prize. ; As a final note, Pedro Diaz, the pilot of the Santa Maria, was kept as a prisoner by the English, who brought him along on the 1586 Roanoke Voyage, of which he kept a fairly detailed journal which, Quinn notes, has proved rather useful in filling in gaps and details in knowledge of that expedition. Thus, the Santa Maria episode, in its various facets, provides a fascinating lens of insight into both the characters and the complex context woven into the tapestry of the Roanoke Voyages.;
Works Cited: ; The Roanoke Voyages, 1584-1590: Volumes I-II, ed. David Beers Quinn (London: Hakluyt Society, 1955), 25, 61, 169-171, 177, 192-3, 218-220, 222, 224, 231, 721, 738, 743, 756, 786, 791.;