‘ENOUGH TO DESTROY A MAN’ - A Brief History of the Circumnavigators - page 142

therefore, felt more than able to look after himself. Certainly, the
Cobadonga should have been more than a match for her adversary.
What made the difference was that aboard the Centurion every man
was possessed of a determination, fine-honed by suffering. Before
the crew was a prize that would make them all rich. To find her they
had come through every manner of earthly hell. Nothing would in-
duce them to let her escape.
The two ships came broadside on and began to pound each
other with cannon fire. The Centurion's guns were loaded with
grapeshot and men stationed in the yards kept up a steady fusillade
with small arms. The objective was to shred sails and rigging and
drive men from the Cobadonga 's decks without causing serious dam-
age. This quickly demoralised the Spaniards. Saumarez 'could ob-
serve the officers running about confusedly as if they were prevent-
ing the desertion of their men from their quarters, which accord-
ingly proved so'. 22 In a couple of hours it was all over. The Spanish
captain struck his colours and was soon a prisoner aboard the Cen-
turion. He had lost about fifty men and a further 170 were wounded.
British casualties were three dead and sixteen wounded.
Philip Saumarez was put in charge of the prize and much of his
time over the next few hours was devoted to clearing up the debris
of battle, repairing damage, burying the dead, making provision for
the wounded, shipping prisoners across to the Centurion and getting
the Cobadonga under way. But he was able to start inventorying the
cargo. What he discovered must have taken his breath away, though
he recorded it laconically enough:
at 6 p.m. sent a launch away [to the Centurion] loaded, having to
the value of 55,000 pounds sterling on board her in chests of silver . . .
From our first beginning to ship off to this instant esteem by a general
calculation that I have sent on board 1,300,000 dollars, besides some
wrought plate . . . 23