Santa Maria hijacking
Encyclopedia
Contrary to popular belief, the Santa Maria hijacking is not "piracy" because it does not fit the international definition of piracy involving an attack of one vessel on another for private ends. Also known as Operation Dulcinea, the code name given it by its chief architect and "leader" Henrique Galvão, it was a rebel terrorist operation against the Government of Portugal
that occurred on January 23, 1961, when a group of
Portuguese
and Spanish
opposition movement members seized control of the 609 feet (185.6 m), 20,900-ton Portuguese luxury cruise liner
Santa Maria.
Owned by the Lisbon
-based Companhia Colonial, the ship was the second largest ship in the Portuguese merchant navy
at the time and along with her sister ship
, the Vera Cruz was among the most luxurious Portuguese-flag liners of that time.
The ship was primarily used for colonial trade to the Portuguese overseas provinces of Angola and Mozambique, in Africa
, and migrant transportation to Brazil
. The ship's mid-Atlantic
service was also viewed as rather out of the ordinary: Lisbon to Madeira
, to Tenerife
, to La Guaira
, to Curaçao
, to Havana
(later San Juan
), and lastly Port Everglades
. The average trade for this gray-hulled ship was mostly migrants to Venezuela
and the general passenger traffic.
On January 23, 1961, the ship had 600 passengers and 300 crew members. Among the passengers were men, women, children, and 24 Iberian
leftists led by Portuguese military officer and politician Henrique Galvão
.
Henrique Galvão was a Portuguese military officer and political foe of Portuguese dictator
António de Oliveira Salazar
, the head of the Estado Novo regime. Galvão had carefully planned the hijacking with the intention of waging war until Salazar was overthrown in Portugal and the overseas territories were subsequently offered independence. He planned on using the hijacking as a way to bring attention to the Estado Novo in Portugal and the related fascist
regime in Spain under Franco.
The rebels boarded the ship in La Guaira
in Venezuela and in Curaçao, disguised as passengers, bringing aboard suitcases. The suitcases had secret compartments to hide their weapons. The rebels, along with Henrique Galvao, seized the ship, ceased all communication, and killed one officer (3rd Pilot Nascimento Costa) and wounded several others in the process of taking complete command over the ship. The rebels forced crew members, along with the captain of the ship, Mario Simoes Maia, to take the ship on a different course.
The whereabouts of the ship remained unknown for several days, until a massive United States search effort by air and sea uncovered and communicated with it in Mid-Atlantic. Thereafter, a fleet of United States naval vessels, including not less than four destroyers...some of which contained USMC infantry belonging to "G" Company, 2nd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment out of Camp Lejeuen, NC...under the command of Rear Admiral Allen E. Smith short-circuited Galvao's plans, when his forces surrounded the "Santa Maria" some fifty miles offshore of Recife
, Brazil
. The following day, Admiral Smith left his flag ship the USS Gearing DD-710 and proceeded via launch to the "Santa Maria" to engage in negotiations with Galvão.
Because of an anticipated change of Presidencies in Brazil...the incoming President being more symphathetic to Galvao's political interests, it was not until the very next day that the "Santa Maria," surrounded by United States naval vessels, entered the harbor of Recife, Brazil. There, Galvão and his 24 leftist terrorists surrendered the "Santa Maria," 600 passengers and crew of 300 to Brazilian authorities in exchange for political asylum.
Galvão later announced that his intentions were to sail to Angola, to set up a renegade Portuguese government in opposition to Salazar. Galvao's stories of these accounts were translated into English and into a book as Santa Maria: my crusade for Portugal (New York, 1961).
Government of Portugal
The Government is one of the four sovereignty organs of the Portuguese Republic. It is also the organ that conducts politics in general in the country and is also the superior body in public administration...
that occurred on January 23, 1961, when a group of
Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and 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...
opposition movement members seized control of the 609 feet (185.6 m), 20,900-ton Portuguese luxury cruise liner
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
Santa Maria.
Owned by the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
-based Companhia Colonial, the ship was the second largest ship in the Portuguese merchant navy
Ship transport
Ship transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
at the time and along with her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
, the Vera Cruz was among the most luxurious Portuguese-flag liners of that time.
The ship was primarily used for colonial trade to the Portuguese overseas provinces of Angola and Mozambique, in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and migrant transportation to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The ship's mid-Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
service was also viewed as rather out of the ordinary: Lisbon to Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, to Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, to La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, to Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
(later San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
), and lastly Port Everglades
Port Everglades
Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...
. The average trade for this gray-hulled ship was mostly migrants to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and the general passenger traffic.
On January 23, 1961, the ship had 600 passengers and 300 crew members. Among the passengers were men, women, children, and 24 Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
leftists led by Portuguese military officer and politician Henrique Galvão
Henrique Galvão
Henrique Galvão was a Portuguese military officer, writer and politician. He was initially a supporter but later become one of the strongest opponents of the Portuguese fascist regimen, the Estado Novo....
.
Henrique Galvão was a Portuguese military officer and political foe of Portuguese dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
, the head of the Estado Novo regime. Galvão had carefully planned the hijacking with the intention of waging war until Salazar was overthrown in Portugal and the overseas territories were subsequently offered independence. He planned on using the hijacking as a way to bring attention to the Estado Novo in Portugal and the related fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
regime in Spain under Franco.
The rebels boarded the ship in La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
in Venezuela and in Curaçao, disguised as passengers, bringing aboard suitcases. The suitcases had secret compartments to hide their weapons. The rebels, along with Henrique Galvao, seized the ship, ceased all communication, and killed one officer (3rd Pilot Nascimento Costa) and wounded several others in the process of taking complete command over the ship. The rebels forced crew members, along with the captain of the ship, Mario Simoes Maia, to take the ship on a different course.
The whereabouts of the ship remained unknown for several days, until a massive United States search effort by air and sea uncovered and communicated with it in Mid-Atlantic. Thereafter, a fleet of United States naval vessels, including not less than four destroyers...some of which contained USMC infantry belonging to "G" Company, 2nd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment out of Camp Lejeuen, NC...under the command of Rear Admiral Allen E. Smith short-circuited Galvao's plans, when his forces surrounded the "Santa Maria" some fifty miles offshore of Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The following day, Admiral Smith left his flag ship the USS Gearing DD-710 and proceeded via launch to the "Santa Maria" to engage in negotiations with Galvão.
Because of an anticipated change of Presidencies in Brazil...the incoming President being more symphathetic to Galvao's political interests, it was not until the very next day that the "Santa Maria," surrounded by United States naval vessels, entered the harbor of Recife, Brazil. There, Galvão and his 24 leftist terrorists surrendered the "Santa Maria," 600 passengers and crew of 300 to Brazilian authorities in exchange for political asylum.
Galvão later announced that his intentions were to sail to Angola, to set up a renegade Portuguese government in opposition to Salazar. Galvao's stories of these accounts were translated into English and into a book as Santa Maria: my crusade for Portugal (New York, 1961).
Literature
- Henrique Galvão: Santa Maria. My crusade for Portugal, London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1961.
- Chapter: O caso "Santa Maria", in: Iva Delgado/António de Figueiredo (edit.): Memórias de Humberto DelgadoHumberto DelgadoHumberto da Silva Delgado, GCL was a General of the Portuguese Air Force and politician.Delgado was born in Brogueira, Torres Novas. He was the son of Joaquim Delgado and wife Maria do Ó Pereira and had three younger sisters, Deolinda, Aida and Lídia....
, Lisbon, Publicacoes Dom Quixote 1991, p. 173-183. - Henry A. Zeiger: The Seizing of the Santa Maria, New York (Popular Library) 1961.
External links
- Portugal's Santa Maria
- http://dd710.proflyersinc.com/solant1.htm
- http://solantamity.com/Solant/SantaMaria.htm Aerial photos and more concerning the US naval force taking of the pirated "Santa Maria."
- http://solantamity.com/Media/Documents/AdminReportGearingB.pdf Admiral Smith designating Galvão's actions as "piracy."