NUESTRA SENORA DEL CARMEN

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

NUESTRA SENORA DEL CARMEN

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:33 pm

On the stamp is given CARMEN but her name is NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL CARMEN.

She was owned by Spain and captured in 1813 by boats No 1 and 2 owned by the Spiro brothers, taken as a prize, on 14 December 1813 was she sold by the owner of Boat No2 Pedro Samuel Sprio to Daniel McKinley.
The same year again sold by hem to Juan Larrea and Guillermo Pio White, the men in charge to form the Second Squadron of the Revolution, they sold them again to Captain Alexander Crosby.
01 January 1814 the CARMEN a Balandra (sloop) joined the Navy of the United Provinces in the Second Squadron under number 15.
Tonnage given as 48 ton, dim. 18 x 4.5 x 1.5m. (draught).
Armed with one 18 pdr. gun.
Crew 23.

March 1814 under command Guillermo (William) Brown on board the HERCULES the squadron with his ill equipped seven ships under which the NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL CARMEN (nicknamed the Frog) under command of Samuel Spiro left Buenos Aires to attack the Spanish squadron under command of Jacinto de Romarate which blockade Buenos Aires. This battle took place between 10 and 15 March.
The attack was repulsed by the Spanish fleet near the island of Martin Gracia.

28 March the two squadrons got again in battle in which the Spanish squadron was defeated and withdrawn up the Uruguay River towards Arroyo de la China.

In this last action with a small squadron of six sails under command of Tomas Nother on 28 March 1814 the Battle of Arroyo de la China took place in the Rio Uruguay.
At noon that day Romerate got the first warning that an enemy squadron was nearing.

The gunboat AMERICAN of the United Provinces in the vanguard was the first to open fire, and the battle started mostly at close range.
The United Provinces ships got many casualties under which the commander Tomas Nother.
After more as three hours of battle the CARMEN grounded under constant pistol and gun fire of the Spanish ships..
The gunboat AMERICAN and sumaca SANTISIMA TRINIDAD both almost complete dismasted, were allocated to prevent that the nearing enemy sloops could board the grounded vessel.
As given by Romarate: the battle lasted till 15.30 where after the sloop NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL CARMEN received shots from BETHLEHEM, where after she exploded and disappeared into the smoke.

As given by Argentine sources, with about 50 percent of CARMEN crew killed and under constant fire of heavy guns, commander Spiro abandoned his ship after he placed a fuss to the gunpowder, but he decided to return to his ship to get a piece which he considered very important, and believing that the fuss was long enough for him to return before it reached the gunpowder.
But as soon he reached his ship she exploded killing him and two other men.
The survivors took refuge on the banks of the river and hided in the bush, were they the next day were rescued.

Argentine 1971 25c sg1364, scott959. 2016 $11 sg?, scott?

Source: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balandra_N ... del_Carmen
Attachments
tmp1DA.jpg
2016 CARMEN .jpg

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