Juan de Lángara
Encyclopedia
Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte(Juan Francisco Langara Uharte in Basque
) (Coruña, Galicia 1736 - Madrid
, 1806) was a Spanish
naval officer and Minister of Marine.
(Teniente de Navío) at the victorious Battle of Minorca
in 1756, against the British under Admiral Sir John Byng
. Having entered the Spanish Navy
at a young age, in 1750, as a Guardiamarina, Lángara quickly distinguished himself in various wars. From 1766 until 1771 he made several scientific expeditions, among others, three voyages to the Philippines and the Chinese seas, and made several important contributions in cartography
. In 1774 he commanded the frigate La Rosalia on a scientific expedition, which led to several important discoveries with regards to pilotage and navigation.
and participated with distinction in the 1779 naval campaign
in the Narrows against Britain, capturing the British letters of marque 26-gun sixth-rate Winchcombe
. When the combined fleet wintered at Brest
and Cádiz
respectively, during the winter 1779–80, Lángara was left in command of a small squadron of 11, mostly smaller ships of the line and with this, he faced the entire naval strength of 21 battleships and 11 frigates under Sir George Rodney off the stormy, dark cliffs of Cape Santa María, in the afternoon of 16 January 1780.
Lángara's intention had been to intercept a British convoy destined for the relief of Gibraltar, but the French authorities, who knew well enough about Rodney's departure and strength, failed to warn the Spanish, who maintained Lángara's fatal orders until it was too late. He and his crews fought remarkably well and with utmost bravery, but could not prevent the British from capturing five of their own number while the 70-gun Santo Domingo blew up during the early evening. Lángara himself only surrendered at 2 am with his flagship, the 80-gun Fénix
, completely battered. This battle is known as the Moonlight Battle, because it was unusual for naval battles in the age of sail to take place at night. Released soon afterwards from imprisonment, Lángara's career did not suffer; by 1793 he was a Capitán General of the Spanish fleet, after having served a stint as a most effective naval minister.
(August–December). The mutual cooperation between the two sides was marked by tension and suspicion.
Horatio Nelson had acquired a poor opinion of Spanish seamen when he visited the port of Cádiz on his way to the Mediterranean, which is not surprising as the Spanish mercantile marine was so small that only about 10 per cent of the muster role of Spanish warships were filled with experienced seamen. At Toulon, national jealousies between the two combined powers impeded the defence. When Gravina was heavily wounded, a Spanish lieutenant general called Valdez, asserted his own claim to be placed in command of all the allied troops. To support him, Lángara moved his three-decker Reina Luisa flagship into a position broadside on to HMS Victory with two other three-deckers on her bow and quarter. Hood, however, resisted this attempted intimidation.
Before Toulon was evacuated, British and Spanish incendiary parties commanded by Sir Sidney Smith were sent to destroy the arsenal and the ships in the harbour. It was Lángara who conducted a brilliant rear-guard action, his men blowing up the arsenal and refloating a number of warships, later sent to Britain. Anyway, Lángara admitted that he had ensured the Spanish contingent did not play its part, because he did not want Britain to acquire too disproportionate a naval strength. Hood, however, was able to get fifteen French ships out of Toulon before the fall. On 14 February 1795
, after 6 hours of chase aboard the tree-decker Reina Luisa he captured the 32-gun French frigate Helène.
For a short while, after the alliance between France
and Spain
had been concluded, in 1795, Lángara co-operated with Napoléon Bonaparte during his Italian campaign of 1796, and sailed from Cádiz with nineteen ships of the line and ten frigates, brushing aside Rear-Admiral Man's division which Jervis had posted to watch Cádiz, and passed into the Mediterranean Sea. He collected seven ships at Cartagena and cruised as far as Corsica, but did not attack the British squadron lying in San Fiorenzo Bay. He proceeded to Toulon, where the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, totalling 38 ships of the line, heavily outnumbered the British Mediterranean squadron which had lost a third of its strength when Man fled precipitately back to the English Channel. This successful junction between the French and Spanish navies, and with the Francophile Corsicans preparing to rise again the British, orders were sent from London to evacuate Corsica and the Mediterranean Sea.
The same year he, again was appointed Secretary of State
for the Navy
and made a Councellor of State. In 1797, he was appointed Inspector-General of the navy. Retiring in 1799, he died in 1806, having had the sad misfortune of witnessing the final eclipse of his proud navy at the Battle of Trafalgar
, a few month before his death. By all accounts, Lángara was a highly skilled, brave and scientific and conscientious officer, dedicated to his duty. His one major flaw was, however, that he was also a proud and rather aloof man, treating, especially his later British allies, with a visible contempt, bordering on disgust. His wife, Doña María Lutgarda, the 2nd Marquésa del Real Transporte y de la Victoria, whom he had married in 1758 was the granddaughter of Don Juan José Navarro
, 1st Marqués de la Victoria (for his victory over Sir John Byng at Cape Sicié, in 1744) and daughter of the renowned explorer and naval officer Don Antonio de Úlloa
.
During Lángara's period at the head of the Spanish navy, Spanish explorers were charting the coast of what is now British Columbia
, Canada
, and, in their charts, named some land formations after him. His name is still found among place names in BC, including Langara Island
, off the coast of Northern BC, and Langara College
in Vancouver
, which was founded in 1970, as the Langara Campus of Vancouver Community College
, and obtained the status of an independent public college
in 1994. In BC place names, the accent is on the second, not the first, syllable.
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
) (Coruña, Galicia 1736 - Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 1806) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
naval officer and Minister of Marine.
Life and career
He was born at Coruña, Galicia, the son of a renowned Basque family. His father was admiral Juan de Langara Arizmendi, who fought as lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(Teniente de Navío) at the victorious Battle of Minorca
Battle of Minorca
The Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...
in 1756, against the British under Admiral Sir John Byng
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
. Having entered the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
at a young age, in 1750, as a Guardiamarina, Lángara quickly distinguished himself in various wars. From 1766 until 1771 he made several scientific expeditions, among others, three voyages to the Philippines and the Chinese seas, and made several important contributions in cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
. In 1774 he commanded the frigate La Rosalia on a scientific expedition, which led to several important discoveries with regards to pilotage and navigation.
American Revolutionary War
By 1778, he was a Brigadier or CommodoreCommodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
and participated with distinction in the 1779 naval campaign
Armada of 1779
The Armada of 1779 was an exceptionally large joint French and Spanish fleet intended, with the aid of a feint by the American Continental Navy, to facilitate an invasion of Britain, as part of the wider American War of Independence, and in application of the Franco-American alliance...
in the Narrows against Britain, capturing the British letters of marque 26-gun sixth-rate Winchcombe
Winchcombe
Winchcombe is a Cotswold town in the local authority district of Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, England. Its population according to the 2001 census was 4,379.-Early history:...
. When the combined fleet wintered at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
and Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
respectively, during the winter 1779–80, Lángara was left in command of a small squadron of 11, mostly smaller ships of the line and with this, he faced the entire naval strength of 21 battleships and 11 frigates under Sir George Rodney off the stormy, dark cliffs of Cape Santa María, in the afternoon of 16 January 1780.
Lángara's intention had been to intercept a British convoy destined for the relief of Gibraltar, but the French authorities, who knew well enough about Rodney's departure and strength, failed to warn the Spanish, who maintained Lángara's fatal orders until it was too late. He and his crews fought remarkably well and with utmost bravery, but could not prevent the British from capturing five of their own number while the 70-gun Santo Domingo blew up during the early evening. Lángara himself only surrendered at 2 am with his flagship, the 80-gun Fénix
Spanish ship Fenix (1749)
Fenix was an 80-gun ship of the line of the Spanish Navy, launched in 1749. She fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 16 January 1780, as the flagship of Admiral Juan de Lángara....
, completely battered. This battle is known as the Moonlight Battle, because it was unusual for naval battles in the age of sail to take place at night. Released soon afterwards from imprisonment, Lángara's career did not suffer; by 1793 he was a Capitán General of the Spanish fleet, after having served a stint as a most effective naval minister.
French Revolutionary Wars
In 1793 he joined Sir Samuel Hood, with 18 Spanish ships-of-the-line, in capturing the French naval arsenal of ToulonToulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
(August–December). The mutual cooperation between the two sides was marked by tension and suspicion.
Horatio Nelson had acquired a poor opinion of Spanish seamen when he visited the port of Cádiz on his way to the Mediterranean, which is not surprising as the Spanish mercantile marine was so small that only about 10 per cent of the muster role of Spanish warships were filled with experienced seamen. At Toulon, national jealousies between the two combined powers impeded the defence. When Gravina was heavily wounded, a Spanish lieutenant general called Valdez, asserted his own claim to be placed in command of all the allied troops. To support him, Lángara moved his three-decker Reina Luisa flagship into a position broadside on to HMS Victory with two other three-deckers on her bow and quarter. Hood, however, resisted this attempted intimidation.
Before Toulon was evacuated, British and Spanish incendiary parties commanded by Sir Sidney Smith were sent to destroy the arsenal and the ships in the harbour. It was Lángara who conducted a brilliant rear-guard action, his men blowing up the arsenal and refloating a number of warships, later sent to Britain. Anyway, Lángara admitted that he had ensured the Spanish contingent did not play its part, because he did not want Britain to acquire too disproportionate a naval strength. Hood, however, was able to get fifteen French ships out of Toulon before the fall. On 14 February 1795
Action of 14 February 1795
The Action of 14 February 1795 was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars fought in the Gulf of Roses between a ship of the line of Juan de Lángara’s fleet and a French squadron of a frigate and a corvette...
, after 6 hours of chase aboard the tree-decker Reina Luisa he captured the 32-gun French frigate Helène.
For a short while, after the alliance between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
had been concluded, in 1795, Lángara co-operated with Napoléon Bonaparte during his Italian campaign of 1796, and sailed from Cádiz with nineteen ships of the line and ten frigates, brushing aside Rear-Admiral Man's division which Jervis had posted to watch Cádiz, and passed into the Mediterranean Sea. He collected seven ships at Cartagena and cruised as far as Corsica, but did not attack the British squadron lying in San Fiorenzo Bay. He proceeded to Toulon, where the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, totalling 38 ships of the line, heavily outnumbered the British Mediterranean squadron which had lost a third of its strength when Man fled precipitately back to the English Channel. This successful junction between the French and Spanish navies, and with the Francophile Corsicans preparing to rise again the British, orders were sent from London to evacuate Corsica and the Mediterranean Sea.
The same year he, again was appointed Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
for the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and made a Councellor of State. In 1797, he was appointed Inspector-General of the navy. Retiring in 1799, he died in 1806, having had the sad misfortune of witnessing the final eclipse of his proud navy at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, a few month before his death. By all accounts, Lángara was a highly skilled, brave and scientific and conscientious officer, dedicated to his duty. His one major flaw was, however, that he was also a proud and rather aloof man, treating, especially his later British allies, with a visible contempt, bordering on disgust. His wife, Doña María Lutgarda, the 2nd Marquésa del Real Transporte y de la Victoria, whom he had married in 1758 was the granddaughter of Don Juan José Navarro
Juan José Navarro
Juan José de Navarro Viana y Búfalo was a Spanish military officer, Marqués de la Victoria and first Captain General of the Spanish Navy....
, 1st Marqués de la Victoria (for his victory over Sir John Byng at Cape Sicié, in 1744) and daughter of the renowned explorer and naval officer Don Antonio de Úlloa
Don Antonio de Ulloa
Don Antonio de Ulloa may refer to:* Antonio de Ulloa, a Spanish general, explorer, author, astronomer, and colonial administrator.*Don Antonio de Ulloa, a Spanish Navy cruiser that fought at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War....
.
During Lángara's period at the head of the Spanish navy, Spanish explorers were charting the coast of what is now British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and, in their charts, named some land formations after him. His name is still found among place names in BC, including Langara Island
Langara Island
Langara Island is the northernmost Island of the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. The island is approximately in size. It is located approximately south of Alaska.-History:...
, off the coast of Northern BC, and Langara College
Langara College
Langara College is a public degree-granting college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which serves approximately 20,000 students annually through its university, career, and continuing studies programs...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, which was founded in 1970, as the Langara Campus of Vancouver Community College
Vancouver Community College
Vancouver Community College is a public post-secondary institution in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the largest and oldest community college in British Columbia, with over 140 certificate and diploma programs...
, and obtained the status of an independent public college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in 1994. In BC place names, the accent is on the second, not the first, syllable.
Further reading
- Court of King's Bench, Baron Sylvester Douglas Glenbervie. Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of King's Bench: 19th–21st 1778–1781 years of the reign of George III (Google eBook) http://books.google.es/books?id=LHMDAAAAQAAJ
- Gardiner, Robert. Fleet Battle and Blockade, The French Revolutionary Wars (2001) ISBN 1-84067-363-X
- Francisco José Díaz y Díaz y Luis Alberto Gómez Muñoz, Biografías de los Grandes Marinos al servicio de España (1999)
- A. Saarinen, The Moonlight Battle or Battle off Cabo Santa María – 16 January 1780 (2003, TBA)
- John D. Harbron Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy(1988)