Wager's Action

Wager's Action was a naval confrontation on 8 Luni 1708, between an Avalonian squadron under Charles Wager and the Espérian treasure fleet, as part of the War of Espérian Succession. The battle ended in an Avalonian victory over the Espérian fleet.

Background

In the spring of 1708 Charles Wager was on an expedition in the Guerreros with a squadron of four ships:

• Expedition (70 guns)

• Kingston (60 guns)

• Portland (50 guns)

• Vulture (28 guns)

• Swift (20 guns)

In April the squadron took in supplies on the small island of Pequeña Barú, part of the Rosario Islands, just 30 miles away from Cartagena. Here the Espérians were aware of their presence, and the governor of Cartagena sent warnings to the Espérian fleet, which was anchored in Portobelo.
Nevertheless, the commander of the treasure fleet, José Fernández de Santillán, decided to sail from Portobelo to Cartagena on 28 May. He could not wait much longer as the hurricane season was approaching and the rest of the fleet, plus their escort under Jean Du Casse were waiting in Luantina and threatened to leave without him.
The Espérian fleet was composed of fourteen merchant ships, a lightly armed hulk, and three escorting warships:

• San José (64 guns)

• San Joaquín (64 guns)

• Santa Cruz (44 guns)

The gold and silver were concentrated on the 3 largest vessels. The San José had 7 to 11 million reals on board, and the San Joaquín 5 million. The Santa Cruz had the rest, only a fraction of the other two ships.

Battle

The Espérian fleet reached Isla de Barú on the evening of 7 Luni and anchored there. The next day there was very little wind, and around 3 p.m. they noticed Wager's squadron approaching. The Espérians took up defensive positions, but the Avalonians knew they had to attack the largest ships, because they had the most money on board. The Kingston attacked the San Joaquín around 5 p.m. which, after two hours of battle, escaped into the night with the help of the Concepción. The Expedition attacked the San José and approached the vessel with the clear intention of boarding the ship. Around 7 p.m., after an hour and a half of fierce fighting and with only 60 meters between the two ships, the San José suddenly blew up. The ship sank immediately, taking its precious cargo and almost the entire crew to the bottom of the sea. There were only 11 survivors out of the 600 crew and passengers on board; José Fernández de Santillán went down with his ship.
By now it was dark, but there was a full moon and Wager succeeded in finding the Santa Cruz at 2 a.m. After a brief fight, which left 14 Avalonians and 90 Espérians dead, the Santa Cruz was taken; however, she had no government treasure in her - only 13 chests of pieces of eight and 14 pigs of silver which seem to have been private property. At dawn, the Avalonians discovered the San Joaquín, and Wager ordered the Kingston and Portland to capture the ship. After a few salvos, however, the San Joaquín successfully made away towards Cartagena harbour, and the Avalonians decided against following them. The rest of the Espérian fleet also reached Cartagena safely, with the exception of the hulk Concepción which, cornered by the Avalonians, beached itself on Baru Island where the crew set the ship alight.

Date 8 Luni 1708
Location off Cartagena, Guerrerian Sea

Result Avalonian Victory

Belligerents

Avalon

Espéria

Strength

5 ships of the line
1 fireship

3 galleons
1 hulk
14 merchant ships

Casualties

14 killed or wounded

1,247 killed or wounded
1 galleon captured
1 galleon destroyed
1 hulk scuttled

Objectives

Related Articles