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✅1592 | The Capture of the Nau Madre de Deus

On January 10th, 1592, five Portuguese ships departed from Cochin bound for Lisbon: the Bom Jesus, São Bernardo, São Cristóvão, Santa Cruz, and Madre de Deus. These ships were heavily loaded and had received orders not to stop at the island of Saint Helena to avoid the possible presence of English privateers. The ships were instructed to sail in a group and be ready to resist potential attacks, proceeding to Corvo Island where a large Spanish fleet would escort them to Lisbon.

However, likely due to bad weather, the ships soon became separated and met different fates: the Bom Jesus sank with no survivors, the São Bernardo disappeared without a trace, and Santa Cruz and Madre de Deus arrived separately in the Azores where English privateers were waiting for them. Of the five ships that had left Cochin, only the São Cristóvão made it safely to Lisbon, arriving on July 17, 1592.

In May of that same year, a fleet of English privateers had departed from Plymouth under the command of Sir Walter Raleigh, heading for the Azores. However, Raleigh was called back to London by the Queen, and left instructions for part of the fleet, under Martin Frobisher, to remain near Cape St. Vincent to contain the Spanish fleet in port, while another part, led by John Burrough, proceeded to the Azores, arriving at the island of Flores on June 21. There, they were joined by other ships, including those of the Earl of Cumberland, strengthening John Burrough’s offensive capabilities.

The wait was short. One day, the Santa Cruz was sighted, and as the English prepared to attack, the Portuguese ship took advantage of the night and calm winds to beach herself on the island of Flores on July 9. This allowed passengers to save their belongings before the ship was set on fire to avoid capture. However, the following day, about one hundred Englishmen landed, extinguished the fire, and managed to recover part of the cargo from the holds, transferring it to their own vessels.

The English then learned that more ships from the India Route were expected, and John Burrough decided to take position west of Flores in a north-south line, with his ships spaced six miles apart.

For about five weeks, seven ships waited — the Dainty, Golden Dragon, Roebuck, Tiger, Sampson, Prudence, and Foresight.

On August 3rd, the Madre de Deus was sighted, sailing from Cochin as the flagship of that journey. Commanded by Fernão de Mendonça Furtado, she carried more than six hundred people, including women, children, and many slaves. She was one of the largest ships in the world at that time, built in Lisbon at the Ribeira das Naus shipyards, with a displacement of 1,600 tons.

The first ship to spot the Madre de Deus was the Dainty, which engaged her but had to withdraw after being hit and losing a mast. Then came the Golden Dragon and John Burrough’s Roebuck, engaging in close artillery duels, but these ships were too small to confront the Madre de Deus, suffering damage and nearly sinking. Next came the Foresight, commanded by Robert Crosse, which positioned itself between the other ships, allowing the Roebuck to retreat and preventing the Madre de Deus from reaching land, as the English feared she might do as the Santa Cruz had and run aground deliberately.

After three hours of combat, and by ten at night, the Roebuck and Foresight simultaneously grappled the Madre de Deus and began boarding.

The battle was fierce and casualties were high. Fernão de Mendonça Furtado surrendered on the condition that the survivors be allowed to disembark on the island of Flores.

The ship was barely navigable, its deck soaked in blood and covered with corpses, especially near the rudder, which required 12 to 14 men to operate. The English were astonished by the ship’s size and delighted by the wealth of the cargo. After disarming the Portuguese, Burgh, “moved by compassion for human misery,” allowed the captain and most of the people to go free, providing them with ships and supplies.

The loss of four out of the five ships that year, especially the Madre de Deus, caused great distress. In Goa, the chronicler Diogo do Couto recorded the event:

"The ships Madre de Deus and Santa Cruz, continuing their voyage and reaching as far as Terceira Island, fought with seven English galleons, which managed to capture the flagship and took it to England along with all the people, who were later ransomed and returned to Portugal."

While the Santa Cruz and Madre de Deus were being lost, the fleet of Don Alonso de Bazán, which should have protected them, remained at São Miguel Island, waiting for favorable winds to sail west. When he heard what had happened, he pursued the English ships, but it was already too late.

As a result, King Philip II dismissed Don Alonso de Bazán from his position and ordered that from April to October, there should always be a fleet in the western Azores to protect Portuguese ships returning from India and Spanish ships from the Americas — a task that had always previously been done successfully by the Portuguese.

After undergoing necessary repairs to make her seaworthy, the Madre de Deus sailed to Dartmouth, arriving on September 7. Her enormous size astonished the local population, and her valuable cargo was transferred to London aboard ten ships. The cargo ended up in the hands of Queen Elizabeth I, even though only two of the ships in the expedition belonged to her and only the smallest of them had taken part in the battle — much to the disappointment of the merchants who had financed the privateers.

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