Antonio Morga versus Oliver van Nort

By order of the governor and captain-general:

Morga went to the port with all his men and put them aboard the 2 ships.

As flagship he took the “Sant Antonio” of Sebu beacuse it had more room to accommodate his assistants [gente de cumplimiento].

He left the Portuguese patache because the governor had taken off the embargo, in order to allow the Portuguese to return with it to Malaca quickly.

Then he equipped 2 caracoas for the fleet with native crews and 2 Spaniards to direct them.

After they had confessed and taken communion, they left the port of Cabit and set sail on December 12, 1600, with Alonzo Gomez as chief pilot.

They also took:

• Father Diego de Santiago
• a lay brother of the Society of Jesus
• Fray Francisco de Valdes of the Order of Augustine

The almiranta had:

• Fray Joan Gutierrez [136]
• another associate of the same order

At night, both ships anchored near the island of Miraveles at the mouth of the bay.

Morga hastily sent sentinels to get reliable news of the corsair’s position.

Immediately at daybreak, the sentinels said, when the fleet sailed from the port of Cabit, the enemy, who lay in the direction of the port Del Fraile [of the Friar], [137] had also weighed anchor, and having stowed their small boats, both ships had crossed to the other and sea side, and that they had seen him anchor after nightfall opposite the point of Valeitegui, [138] where he still was.

Upon hearing this, the auditor thought that perhaps the corsair had been informed of the preparation of the fleet and of its departure, and had consequently weighed anchor from his position; and that, since he had stowed his small boats aboard the ships, he was about to put to sea to avoid the fleet. He immediately sent the same news to the admiral, and opened the instructions given him by the governor.

Seeing that he was ordered thereby to seek the enemy with all diligence, pursue him, and endeavor to fight him, he thought best to shorten the work before him, and to lose no time and not allow the enemy to get farther away.

The fleet spent December 13, St. Lucy’s day, making waist-cloths, arranging the artillery, getting ready the weapons, alloting men to their posts, and preparing themselves to fight on the next day, on which it was thought that they would fall in with the corsair.

The auditor sent special instructions in writing to the admiral concerning what he was to do and observe on his part.

These instructions specified chiefly that upon engaging with the enemy, both ships were to grapple and fight the corsair’s flagship—in which were carried all the forces—and other things which will be understood from the instructions given to the admiral. These were as follows.

[These instructions are given in VOL. XI of this series, pp. 145-148.]

At the same time the auditor notified the admiral that the fleet would weigh anchor from its anchorage shortly after midnight, and would go out of the bay to sea, crowding all sail possible, so that at dawn it might be off the point of Baleitigui to windward of the point where the enemy had anchored on Tuesday night, according to the sentinels’ report.

At the appointed hour both vessels—the flagship and the almiranta—weighed anchor from Miraveles, and, favored by a light wind, sailed the rest of the night toward Baleitigui. The two caracoas used as tenders could not follow because of a choppy sea, and a fresh northwester; they crossed within the bay, and under shelter of the land to the other side.

At the first streak of light both vessels of the fleet found themselves off the point; and one legua to leeward, and seaward, they sighted the corsair’s two vessels riding at anchor.

As soon as the latter recognized our ships and saw that they flung captain’s and admiral’s colors at the masthead, they weighed anchor and set sail from their anchorage, after having first reënforced the flagship with a boatload of men from their almiranta, which stood to sea, while the flagship hove to, and awaited our fleet, firing several pieces at long range.

The flagship of our fleet was unable to answer the enemy with its artillery because the gun-ports were shut, and the vessel was tacking to starboard, determined to close with him.

It grappled his flagship on the port side, sweeping and clearing the decks of the men on them.

Then the colors with thirty soldiers and a few sailors were thrown aboard. They took possession of the forecastle and after-cabin and captured their colors at masthead and quarter, and the white, blue, and orange standard with the arms of Count Mauricio flung at the stern.

The main- and mizzen-mast were stripped of all the rigging and sails, and a large boat which the enemy carried on the poop was captured. The enemy, who had retreated to the bows below the harpings, upon seeing two ships attacking him with so great resolution, sent to ask the auditor for terms of surrender.

While an answer was being given him, Admiral Joan de Alcega, who, in accordance with the instructions given him the day previous by the auditor, ought to have grappled at the same time as the flagship, and lashed his vessel to the enemy, thinking that the victory was won, that the corsair’s almiranta was escaping, and that it would be well to capture it, left the flagship and followed astern of Lamberto Viezman, crowding all sail and chasing him until he overtook him.

Oliber de Nort, seeing himself alone and with a better ship and artillery than the auditor’s, waited no longer for the answer to the terms for which he had asked at first, and renewed the fight with musketry and artillery.

The combat between the 2 flagships was so obstinate and bitter on both sides that it lasted more than 6 hours, and many were killed on both sides.

But the corsair had the worst of it all the time, for not more than fifteen of his men were left alive, and those badly maimed and wounded. [139]

Finally the corsair’s ship caught fire, and the flames rose high by the mizzen-mast and in the stern. The auditor, in order not to endanger his own ship, found it necessary to recall his colors and men from the enemy’s ship, and to cast loose and separate from it.

This he did, only to discover that his ship, from the pounding of the artillery during so long a combat, as it was but slightly strengthened, had an opening in the bows and was filling so rapidly that being unable to overcome the leak, it was foundering.

The corsair seeing his opponent’s trouble and his inability to follow him, made haste with his few remaining men to extinguish the fire on board his ship. Having quenched it, he set his foresail, which was still left. Shattered in all parts, stripped of rigging, and without men he reached Borneo and Sunda, where he was seen so enfeebled and distressed that it seemed impossible for him to navigate, or to go farther without shipwreck.

The Spanish flagship, which was fully occupied in trying to remedy the extremity to which it was reduced, could not be assisted, because it was alone and far from land, and consequently sank so rapidly that the men could neither disarm themselves, nor get hold of anything which might be of help to them.

The auditor did not abandon the ship, although some soldiers, in order to escape therein, seized the boat at the stern, and asked him also to get into it. Thereupon they made off and went away, in order to prevent others from taking it away from them.

When the ship sunk, Morga swam constantly for four hours, with the quarter colors and the enemy’s standard which he took with him. He reached a very small desert island, two leguas away, called Fortuna, where a few of the ship’s men who had more endurance in the sea, also arrived in safety.

Some perished and were drowned, for they had not even disarmed themselves, and whom this predicament had overtaken when exhausted by the long fight with the enemy. Those who met death on this occasion were fifty in all.

The most important among them were Captains Don Francisco de Mendoça, Gregorio de Vargas, Francisco Rodriguez, and Gaspar de los Rios, [140] all of whom died fighting with the enemy.

Among those drowned at sea were:

• Captains Don Joan de Camudio
• Augustin de Urdiales
• Don Pedro Tello
• Don Gabriel Maldonado
• Don Cristoval de Heredia
• Don Luis de Belver
• Don Alonso Loçano
• Domingo de Arrieta
• Melchior de Figueroa
• Chief-pilot Alonso Gomez
• father Fray Diego de Santiago
• the brother who went with him.

Admiral Joan de Alcega overtook Lamberto Viezman slightly after midday and captured him with little resistance.

and although he afterward saw the so battered ship of Oliber del Nort pass by and escaping at a short distance, he did not pursue him.

On the contrary, without stopping longer, he returned with his almiranta to Miraveles, leaving the prize with some of his own men, whom he had put aboard it, to follow him.

He neither looked for his flagship nor took any other step, imagining that if any mishap had occurred, he might be blamed for leaving the flagship alone with the corsair and pursuing Lambert Biezman without orders from the auditor, and contrary to the instructions given him in writing; and fearing lest if he were to rejoin the auditor after having left him, ill would befall himself.

Morga took the wounded and the men who had escaped from the islet of Fortun, at nightfall, in his ship’s boat which he found at that port, as well as the corsair’s boat and a caracoa which arrived there. And on the following day, he landed them in Luzon, at the bar of Anazibu, in the province of Balayan, [141] thirty leguas from Manila, where he supplied them with provisions as quickly as possible.

Moreover he explored the coast and neighboring islands with swift boats, in search of his almiranta and the captured corsair. This prize was taken to Manila, with twenty-five men alive and the admiral, ten pieces of artillery, and a quantity of wine, oil, cloth, linen, weapons, and other goods which it carried. The admiral and the Dutchmen of his company were garroted by orders of the governor. [142]

Thus ended the expedition.

Thereby was averted the injury which it was thought that the corsair would inflict in these seas, had he been allowed to remain there with the aim that he cherished, although so much to the detriment of the Spaniards by the loss of their flagship, which would not have happened had the orders of the auditor been observed.