How many ships were involved in the Portolà expedition?
Timeline of the Portolá expedition
Gálvez placed Gaspar de Portolá, recently appointed governor of Las Californias, in overall command of the expedition. Second in command was Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada, commander of the Presidio at Loreto. Serra headed the Franciscan missionary contingent. Three ships were also assigned: two to follow the land march up the coast and keep the expedition supplied from the naval depot at La Paz (on the Baja peninsula), and another ship to connect La Paz with the mainland at San Blas.
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kōsō Abe, included 11 transport ships carrying about 5,000 soldiers from the IJA's South Seas Detachment plus approximately 500 troops from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). Escorting the transports was the Port Moresby Attack Force with one light cruiser and six destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka. Abe's ships departed Rabaul for the trip to Port Moresby on 4 May and were joined by Kajioka's force the next day. The ships, proceeding at , planned to transit the Jomard Channel in the Louisiades to pass around the southern tip of New Guinea to arrive at Port Moresby by 10 May. The Allied garrison at Port Moresby numbered around 5,333 men, but only half of these were infantry and all were badly equipped and undertrained.
Leading the invasion of Tulagi was the Tulagi Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima, consisting of two minelayers, two destroyers, six minesweepers, two subchasers and a transport ship carrying about 400 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF. Supporting the Tulagi force was the Covering Group with the light carrier , four heavy cruisers, and one destroyer, commanded by Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō. A separate Cover Force (sometimes referred to as the Support Group), commanded by Rear Admiral Kuninori Marumo and consisting of two light cruisers, the seaplane tender and three gunboats, joined the Covering Group in providing distant protection for the Tulagi invasion. Once Tulagi was secured on 3 or 4 May, the Covering Group and Cover Force were to reposition to help screen the Port Moresby invasion. Inoue directed the "MO" operation from the cruiser , with which he arrived at Rabaul from Truk on 4 May.
HMS Pearl (1762)
Comprising "Pearl" and "Pomone", frigates, "Renown", "Gibraltar", "Dragon", "Alexander", "Généreux", , of the line, and brig-sloop ; Warren’s squadron supplied nearly 700 seamen and marines for an attack on the French batteries investing the town. The action took place on 14 September but was only partially successful, and eight days later the British ships left Elba. Porto Ferrajo remained in British hands until the end of the war however.
HMS Success (1781)
In May 1799 Captain Shuldham Peard took command of "Success", and was sent to serve in the Mediterranean. On 9 June of that year, "Success" was off Cap de Creus, when Peard spotted a polacca to the north-west. He gave chase, but the vessel took refuge in the harbour of El Port de la Selva, so he sent in his boats to cut her out. After a fierce action, in which "Success" suffered three killed and nine badly wounded, she proved to be the "Bella Aurora", sailing from Genoa to Barcelona with a cargo of cotton, silk and rice, and armed with 10 guns, all 9- or 6-pounders. In his report Peard pointed out that the attack had been carried out in broad daylight by only 43 men against a vessel crewed by 113, protected by boarding netting, and supported from the shore by a small gun battery and a large number of men with muskets. Subsequently, in 1847, a clasp to the Naval General Service Medal marked "9 June 1799" awarded to any surviving members of the action who applied for it. Shortly after, "Success" was one of the fleet, part of which fought the action of 18 June 1799, in which three French frigates and two brigs were captured.
Maritime history of England
The Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of Alonso de Guzmán El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588. It was sent by King Philip II of Spain to take the Duke of Parma's army from the Spanish Netherlands to a landing in southeast England. The Armada consisted of about 130 warships and converted merchant ships. After forcing its way up the English Channel, being attacked by the English fleet of about 200 vessels, it anchored off the coast at Gravelines waiting for the army. A fire ship attack drove the Spanish ships from their safe anchorage. The Armada was blown north up the east coast of England and attempted to return to Spain by sailing around Scotland but many ships were wrecked off Ireland. The Spanish sent a smaller fleet, about 100 ships, the following year but this ran into stormy weather off Cornwall and was blown back to Spain.
Portolà expedition
On November 11, Portolá convened an officers' council, which agreed unanimously that 1) they must have passed Monterey, 2) it was time to turn around and retrace their steps back to San Diego, and 3) no one would be left behind hoping for a supply ship to arrive. The entire party headed back south.
Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia
Twelve Volunteers succumbed to illness while awaiting the arrival of the overland arm of the expedition under Captain Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada, who arrived a month later. Still short of provisions, however, the lot of the soldiers improved very little. Despite these privations, the Volunteers participated in the Portola expedition that established San Diego and Monterey, and remained as the first garrison of the Presidio of Monterey, under Fages' command. Volunteers accompanied Fages on expeditions to explore the San Francisco Bay region in 1770 and 1772.
Byzantine navy
In 1155, a Byzantine squadron of 10 ships in support of Norman rebel Robert III of Loritello arrived at Ancona, launching the last Byzantine bid to regain Southern Italy. Despite initial successes and reinforcements under "megas doux" Alexios Komnenos Bryennios, the expedition was ultimately defeated in 1156, and 4 Byzantine ships were captured. By 1169, the efforts of Manuel had evidently borne fruit, as a large and purely Byzantine fleet of about 150 galleys, 10-12 large transports and 60 horse transports under "megas doux" Andronikos Kontostephanos was sent to invade Egypt in cooperation with the ruler of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. The invasion failed however, and the Byzantines lost half the fleet in a storm on the way back.
Gaspar de Portolà
The expedition followed the same route they had the previous winter while returning to San Diego. After 36 days on the road, with only two days of rest, Portolà arrived at his second cross on May 24, 1770. He then saw that on a clear day and from a certain point of view the round harbor assumed the proportions described by the earlier enthusiastic explorers. Having recognized the bay, a Mass was conducted near the oak tree that the Carmelite missionaries with Vizcaíno had worshiped under in 1603, and possession was officially taken. On June 3, 1770, they laid the beginnings of the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo and founded the Presidio of Monterey.
Costa Concordia disaster
"Costa Concordia" (call sign: IBHD, IMO number: 9320544, MMSI number: 247158500), with 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew members on board, was sailing off Isola del Giglio on the night of 13 January 2012, having begun a planned seven-day cruise from Civitavecchia, Lazio, Italy, to Savona and five other ports. She struck her port side on a reef, at 21:42 or 21:45 local time. The reef is charted as an area known as Le Scole, about south of the entrance to the harbour of Giglio Porto, on the island's east coast.
HMS Peterel (1794)
"Peterel" participated in the Capture of Menorca (1798) by the British expedition under Commodore John Duckworth. On 12 November 1798 the Spanish 40-gun frigate "Flora", in company with the 40-gun "Proserpina" and the 34-gun ships "Pomona" and "Casilda", captured "Peterel" whilst she was operating off Menorca. One of the Spanish ships fired a broadside after she surrendered. After removing the prisoners from the ship, the Spanish plundered their clothes and possessions, murdering a seaman who attempted to defend his property. Duckworth detached to pursue the sloop and on 13 November she retook "Peterel" and her 72-man Spanish prize crew, which was under the command of Don Antonio Franco Gandrada, Second Captain of "Flora". Captain James Bowen of "Argo" put his own prize crew of 46 officers seamen and marines aboard "Peterel". Duckworth later appointed his first lieutenant, George Jones, to command "Peterel". Most of the clothes belonging to Captain Long and his officers were subsequently recovered.James/Chamier p.197 This charge of ill-usage was officially contradicted in the Madrid Gazette of 12 April, but was, nevertheless, essentially true.
Vasco da Gama
On 8 July 1497 Vasco da Gama led a fleet of four ships with a crew of 170 men from Lisbon. The distance traveled in the journey around Africa to India and back was greater than around the equator. The navigators included Portugal's most experienced, Pero de Alenquer, Pedro Escobar, João de Coimbra, and Afonso Gonçalves. It is not known for certain how many people were in each ship's crew but approximately 55 returned, and two ships were lost. Two of the vessels were carracks, newly built for the voyage, the others were a caravel and a supply boat.
Malta convoys
In the Battle of Calabria ("Battaglia di Punta Stilo"), "Regia Marina" escorts (two battleships, 14 cruisers and 32 destroyers) of an Italian convoy engaged the battleships , and and the aircraft carrier . The British cruisers and destroyers covered two convoys heading from Malta to Alexandria. The first, Malta Fast 1 (MF 1)/Malta East 1 (ME 1), was composed of the "El Nil", "Knight of Malta" and "Rodi"; the second, Malta Slow 1 (MS 1)/ME 1 was composed of the "Kirkland", "Masirah", "Novasli", "Tweed" and "Zeeland".
USS Portland (CA-33)
Two weeks later, she participated in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal from 12–15 November, which resulted in heavy damage to both forces but broke up the determined Japanese effort to disrupt the landing of 6,000 American troops on Guadalcanal, to bombard Henderson Field, and to land 7,000 reinforcements of their own. At the outbreak of the battle, "Portland" was escorting a convoy traveling to Guadalcanal from New Caledonia as part of Task Force 67. After a four-day journey they arrived and began to offload supplies on 12 November and were countered by a Japanese air attack of 46 aircraft. That night, she was among a force of five cruisers and eight destroyers under Daniel J. Callaghan which steamed to counter an approaching Japanese force. They spotted a Japanese force of two battleships, one cruiser and eleven destroyers and immediately opened fire, sinking the . Shortly thereafter, "Portland" was struck by a torpedo fired by either the destroyer or the destroyer at 01:58, causing heavy damage to her stern. The torpedo struck the starboard side, which blew off both inboard propellers, jammed the rudder five degrees to starboard, and jammed her Number Three turret in train and elevation. A four degree list was quickly corrected by shifting ballast, but the steering problem could not be overcome and the ship was forced to steam in circles to starboard. The blast disrupted her steering column, forcing her to steer in a circle. At the end of her first circle, she fired on the battleship , with her forward turrets. The Japanese ship returned fire, but all salvos passed over the cruiser. In the four six-gun salvos returned by "Portland", she succeeded in starting fires in the Japanese ship. At dawn, she was one of three U.S. ships still too damaged to withdraw on her own power. Then again at 06:30, still circling, "Portland" opened fire on the abandoned hulk of the destroyer at a range of . After the sixth salvo, "Yūdachi" exploded, rolled over, and sank within five minutes. She was eventually able to correct the steering problem and withdraw on her own power. She later received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for her actions in the battle. She suffered 18 killed, 17 wounded in the battle.
Portolà expedition
Portolá and his men continued north along the coast, hoping to find the great port they had now left behind. On October 30, they reached the headlands near today's Moss Beach. Looking into the Pacific Ocean, they could see the Farallon Islands due west — and Drakes Bay curving broadly to Point Reyes across 40 miles (65 km) of open water to the northwest. They mistook Drakes Bay for the bay named by previous naval explorers the "port of San Francisco." The sight convinced some, but not all of them that they had indeed bypassed the port of Monterey.
Junípero Serra
Meanwhile, the land expedition departed from San Diego on April 17 under the command of Portolá. His group included friar Crespí, captain Pedro Fages, twelve Catalan volunteers, seven leather-jacketed soldiers, two muleteers, five Baja Christian Indians, and Portolá's servant. Following the same route they had taken the year before, the expedition reached Monterey Bay on May 24, without losing a single man or suffering any serious illness. With the "San Antonio" nowhere in sight, Portolá, Crespí and a guard walked over the hills to Point Pinos, then to a beachside hill just south where their party had planted a large cross five months before on their journey back from San Francisco Bay. They found the cross surrounded by feathers and broken arrows driven into the ground, with fresh sardines and meat laid out before the cross. No Indians were in sight. The three men then walked along the rocky coast south to Carmel Bay. Several Indians approached them, and the two groups exchanged gifts. On May 31, the "San Antonio" sailed into Monterey Bay and dropped anchor, reuniting the surviving men of the land and sea expeditions.
Portolà expedition
They returned to the wooden cross left on a hill the year before, and this time (perhaps on a clearer day) realized that the site did indeed overlook the place Vizcaíno had described. Portolá founded the Presidio of Monterey on that hill, and Serra founded the Mission San Carlos Borromeo (moved to Carmel the next year, a little ways to the south). On July 9, 1770, Portolá and Costansó boarded the "San Antonio" and sailed out of Monterey Bay, headed back to Baja California New Spain.
Maritime history
The Spanish Armada consisted of about 130 warships and converted merchant ships. After forcing its way up the English Channel, it was attacked by a fleet of 200 English ships, assisted by the Dutch navy, in the North Sea at Gravelines off the coastal border between France and the Spanish Netherlands. A fire-ship attack drove the Armada ships from their safe anchorage, and in the ensuing battle the Spanish abandoned their rendezvous with Parma's army.
Operation Portcullis
Operation Portcullis (1–5 December 1942) was the dispatch of Convoy MW 14 to Malta from Port Said. The convoy followed the success of Operation Stoneage (16–20 November) which had raised the Siege of Malta. Four merchant ships were escorted to Malta by seven destroyers of the 12th Destroyer Flotilla, supported by three cruisers of the 15th Cruiser Squadron and three destroyers from Alexandria.
Spanish–Moro conflict
Meanwhile, General Terrero had prepared his expedition, and early in January sailed from Manila with a force composed of 5 infantry regiments, 3 companies of artillery, 2 squadrons of cavalry, 300 disciplinarios, and 8 field and 2 siege guns. After a short stop at Zamboanga the expedition sailed for Polloc, where several gunboats had assembled. On the 14th three transports were sent with troops to Forts Bacat, Liong, and Piramide without a single Moro being seen. On the 19th the cavalry, marines, and some artillery were also taken to Bacat. To compose the expedition ships and troops had been drawn from throughout the archipelago, less than 1,000 men remaining to guard Manila, and not a gunboat or a soldier, except of the civil guard, being left in the Visayas. In Jolo. where hostilities were commencing. Colonel Arolas had but 320 men. Considerable discontent was apparent in Manila from this situation.
Battle of Girolata
In 1538 the Ottoman fleet, led by Hayreddin Barbarossa, dealt a decisive blow to the Spanish and Italian Holy League assembled by pope Paul III by defeating its fleet at the Battle of Preveza, off the Epirote coast, and by taking Castelnuovo. As in 1540 Suleiman the Magnificent was preparing a land campaign in Hungary, the Ottoman navy was however short of means and it could not take the field. Barbarossa then detached to the Western Mediterranean waters the leader of his scout squadron, Turgut Reis, known as Dragut, with the task of raiding the Italian coast and disturbing Spanish shipping in a privateering mission. Dragut started his cruise by capturing five Venetian galleys off the island of Paxos, near Corfu. The Venetians could not retaliate, as they signed a peace treaty with the Sultan shortly afterwards.
In response to the Ottoman threat, Charles V's Great-admiral, Andrea Doria, gathered a fleet of roughly 80 galleys at the harbour of Messina to clear the Ottoman privateers from the Western Mediterranean, and following the example of Pompey in his war against the Cilician pirates, he divided his ships into five squadrons which he assigned to patrol different regions. Andrea Doria himself sailed from Messina to Tunis in late April ahead 55 galleys, expecting to surprise Dragut at his station off Djerba. However, Barbarossa's lieutenant had moved faster. The Genoese admiral had detached his relative Erasmo Doria to guard the Balearic islands in command of 10 galleys, his nephew Gianettino Doria and Berenguer de Requesens to patrol off Corsica and Sardinia with 21 galleys, Fadrique de Toledo to defend the Gulf of Naples with 11, and the Count of Anguillara, helped by the Knights of Malta, to protect Sicily with 17.
Navy of the Order of Saint John
While based in Malta, the Order and its navy participated in a number of naval battles against the Ottoman Navy or the Barbary pirates. The Order sent a carrack and four galleys to support the Spanish Empire and its allies in the conquest of Tunis in 1535. It also participated in the Battle of Preveza (1538), the Algiers expedition (1541) and Battle of Djerba (1560), in which the Ottomans were victorious over the Christian forces.
Alligator (1793 ship)
Captain Robert curling sailed from Portsmouth on 13 September 1798, bound for Madras and Bengal. "Alligator" was part of a large convoy of merchantmen and transports, all under the escort of , HMS "Pomone", and HMS "Cormorant". The convoy included three East Indiamen: "Royal Charlotte", "Cuffnells", and . On 25 September the convoy encountered a French fleet of nine sail, consisting of one 80-gun ship and eight frigates. The convoy commander signaled the East Indiamen to form line of battle with the Royal Navy ships, and the convoy to push for Lisbon. This manoeuvre, and the warlike appearance of the Indiamen, deterred the French admiral from attacking them. The whole fleet reached Lisbon in safety, with "Alligator" arriving on 28 September.
HMS Vincejo (1799)
"Vincejo" was part of the British squadron supporting the Anglo-Tuscan forces at the Siege of Porto Ferrajo when the French attempted to force the surrender of the Tuscan fortress town of Porto Ferrajo (now Portoferraio) on the island of Elba following the French occupation of mainland Tuscany earlier in 1801. The British went on the offensive on 14 September. They assembled a force of some 449 Royal Marines, 240 seamen, and some 300 Tuscan auxiliaries to attack the French batteries that overlooked the mouth of the harbour. , "Gibraltar", "Dragon", "Alexander", "Genereux", "Stately", , and "Vincejo", contributed the marines and seamen, all under the command of Captain George Long and Captain John Chambers White of "Renown". The British-Tuscan force succeeded in destroying the batteries, though Long was killed in the attack on one. However, eventually the French, who greatly outnumbered the attackers, were able to force them to withdraw. In March 1802 under Article XI of the final terms of the Treaty of Amiens the British turned over the entire island to the French and Elba remained in French hands throughout the Napoleonic Wars.
Ottoman Navy
In 1527 the Ottoman fleet participated in the conquest of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, and Bosnia. In 1529 the Ottoman fleet under Salih Reis and Aydın Reis destroyed the Spanish fleet of Rodrigo Portundo near the Isle of Formentera. This was followed by the first conquest of Tunisia from Spain and the reconquest of Morea by the forces of Hayreddin Barbarossa, whose fleet later conquered the islands belonging to the Duchy of Naxos in 1537. Afterwards, the Ottoman fleet laid siege on the Venetian island of Corfu, and landed on the coasts of Calabria and Apulia, which forced the Republic of Venice and Habsburg Spain ruled by Charles V to ask the Pope to create a Holy League consisting of Spain, the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, the Papal States and the Knights of Malta. The joint fleet was commanded by Charles V's leading admiral, Andrea Doria. The Holy League and the Ottoman fleet under the command of Hayreddin Barbarossa met in September 1538 at the Battle of Preveza, which is often considered the greatest Turkish naval victory in history. In 1543 the Ottoman fleet participated with French forces in the Siege of Nice, which at the time was part of the Duchy of Savoy. Afterwards, Francis I of France enabled the Ottoman fleet to overwinter in the French harbor of Toulon. This unique Ottoman wintering in Toulon (sometimes inaccurately called an occupation; the Ottomans merely stayed the winter and did not impose any form of governance on the populace) allowed the Ottomans to attack Habsburg Spanish and Italian ports (enemies of France); they left Toulon in May 1544. Matrakçı Nasuh, a 16th-century Ottoman Janissary, polymath, and swordmaster, reportedly participated in the wintering in Toulon.
Timeline of the Portolá expedition
Gálvez and Serra met in November, 1768, to plan the expedition. The goals set were to establish two Presidios and nearby missions – at San Diego and Monterrey (one "r" has since been dropped). These places had been described and given names 166 years before by the maritime explorations of Sebastián Vizcaíno. In addition, the name San Carlos Borromeo was chosen for the mission at Monterrey.
Francesc Palóu
The Rivera expedition returned to the Presidio of Monterey via the coastal route first explored by the Portolà expedition of 1769. At the north end of Monterey Bay, Rivera and Palóu inspected the area around today's Santa Cruz, described by friar Juan Crespí (who accompanied Portolà) and recommended by Crespí as a future mission site. Palóu agreed, and on December 9 selected a location where Mission Santa Cruz was later founded by Fermín Lasuén, in 1791.
Portolà expedition
A competing claim was established for England in 1579 by the privateer Francis Drake, who followed the trans-Pacific route from the Philippines established by the Manila Galleons and reached the California coast near Cape Mendocino, from which he then sailed south along the coast at least as far as Point Reyes. In 1596, a Portuguese captain sailing for Spain, Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho (Spanish: Cermeño) explored some of the same coastline, leaving a description of coastal features. The Portolá expedition carried a copy of Cermeño's writings to guide them along the coast.
Pedro Fages
In the spring of 1770, Fages joined the second overland Portolá expedition from San Diego to Monterey, along with friar Juan Crespí, twelve Catalan volunteers, seven leather-jacketed soldiers, two muleteers, and five Baja Christian Indians — aiming to establish a Catholic mission in Monterey.
Naval Battle of Tarragona (July 1641)
The Spanish galleys formed into three squadrons in order to flank the blockading fleet, but seeing Cangé's vessels too far from Cazencac's squadron, 29 of them led by Melchor de Borja crossed the French formation going astern of the 12 ships under the French Rear admiral. Then they gained the wind. The thirtieth galley, "San Felipe", was closely engaged by two French galleys and surrendered. Two other Spanish galleys which lagged behind were captured by the French "La Pille" and "La Reine" commanded by Jean-Philippe de Vallbelle. Melchor de Borja had his galleys badly damaged by Cazenac's ships in the process, but thanks to his manoeuver, the Duke of Fernandina managed to reach the relative safety of the harbor with 11 galleys and the 5 brigantines with supplies. Cangé was able to keep them covered behind the mole, thanks to the heavy gunfire of his ships and gave time to his remaining vessels to joining him. 
Vice admiral de Montigny, Abraham Duquesne and other commanders came close and attacked the Spanish galleys. The Spaniards panicked and began to evacuate the galleys which had taken refuge behind the mole, one of which was set on fire by a French fireship. Firstly the Genoese and later the Spaniards, in all 4,500 men, tried to escape both by swimming or aboard the boats of the galleys. About 300 of them drowned. The confusion amidst the town was considerable, with soldiers and civilians deeping into the waves with carts to collect the supplies. Several Spanish galleys were lost: "Duquesa" of Genoa and "Patrona" of Sicily sank, the Spanish "Santa Barbara" of Antonio de Sobremonte was about to sink, as well as "Patrona" of Genoa and "Quatralba" of Sicily. The "Santa Olalla" ran aground near Salou and was destroyed by a party of French cavalry. 450 prisoners and 3 Spanish flags were taken. One of the Spanish officers killed was Captain Leonardo de Moles, infamous all over Catalonia for his crimes against the populace of the country.
7th Portuguese India Armada (Almeida, 1505)
Manuel Paçanha's squadron is considerably less lucky in the Cape crossing. Of the seven ships, only three manage to stay together – the nau of Sebastião de Sousa ("Conceipção") and the caravels of Antão Vaz and Gonçalo Vaz de Goes. The remaining four ships are scattered. Their fates, as was later discovered:July 23, 1505 – Francisco de Almeida arrives on the island-state of Kilwa ("Quíloa") with only eight ships. Intent on collecting the annual tribute (imposed 1502) owed to the king of Portugal, Almeida fires his guns in salute, but, after receiving no reply for the courtesy, sends João da Nova to lead inquiries into why. Messages are shuttled back and forth between Francisco de Almeida and Kilwa's strongman ruler Emir Ibrahim ("Mir Habraemo"), the latter of whom seems to be doing his utmost to avoid a meeting. At length, Almeida decides to attack the city. Almeida lands 500 Portuguese soldiers in two groups, one under himself another under his son, Lourenço de Almeida on either side of the island, and march on the Emir's palace. There is little opposition – Emir Ibrahim flees the city, along with a good part of his followers.
Spain–United Kingdom relations
In 1585, as relations between England and Spain worsened, Queen Elizabeth once again authorized Francis Drake to disrupt Spanish shipping. He sacked Santo Domingo and Cartagena, which became the opening salvo of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). After almost two years of preparation, the Spanish Armada was ready to sail. Its 154 ships carried 19,000 soldiers (17,000 Spanish, 2,000 Portuguese) and 8,000 sailors, as well as 180 clerics who were to help reestablish Catholicism in England. The plan was for the Spanish Armada to sail up the English Channel in a crescent formation to clear a path for the entry of army troops stationed in the Netherlands. The first attempt to sail in May 1588 ended when the Spanish Armada ran into storms and the fleet lost five ships.
Portolà expedition
Three diaries written by members of the expedition survive, giving unusually complete insight into the daily movements and experiences: One by Portolá himself, a record by Miguel Costansó, and a diary by Juan Crespí which is the most complete and detailed of the three. The website of the Pacifica Historical Society features a day-by-day account of the expedition, with daily entries from all three diaries.
Spanish Armada in Ireland
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. It met with armed resistance in the English Channel, when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines.
Jean-François Hodoul
In May Hodoul received his first privateer command, "Apollon", of ten guns and six "obusier"s. He sailed on 7 March with 71 men from Port-Louis for the Malabar Coast. There he captured the ship "Eliza", of three masts and 350 tons (bm), herself a former French vessel. Six days later he rescued seven slaves aboard a British vessel whose crew had abandoned it after a storm. A few days later, on 17 May, near Masulipatnam, he captured "Aydresev", a ship of about 500 tons, sailing under the Maharatta flag. She arrived at Port-Louis on 23 June. The captain of the prize crew, Harel, reported that on 3 May Hodoul had captured a British vessel bound for Tranquebar, then a Danish colony.
Battle of Tarragona (August 1641)
The French fleet, composed of 14 galleons, 13 pataches, 17 galleys and 3 fireships, was soon put on line and opened fire on the Spanish fleet. Sourdis' vice-admiral was ahead with 6 ships and 5 galleys, Sourdis followed him with 11 ships and 7 galleys, while 12 ships and 5 galleys closed the formation. Sourdis sailed towards the Point of Salou, attempting to bar the way to Maqueda. The Spaniards immediately responded to the fire with their galleons, causing serious damage to the French galleons, and forcing the French fleet to leave the harbor entrance. With the blockade broken, and the French fleet engaged in battle with the Spanish galleons, the Spanish convoy of 65 ships, escorted by some Spanish galleys, entered the port, to the great joy of the defenders. Having achieved the main objective, the Spanish galleys were reorganized and attacked the flank of the French fleet. At the same time, Maqueda fell upon the French vanguard supported by his galleons. In the middle of the action, the ship under admiral Orellana lost its mainsail and had to be relieved by the "Testa de Oro". The French galleons "Forte" and "Licorne" were put out of action, but Sourdis did not lost a single ship. Having managed to hold off a superior fleet, he ordered the withdrawal on 25 August. But although he had saved his whole fleet, the Spaniards had obtained the naval control of the area. The siege of Tarragona was lifted, and the Spanish fleet was able to provision the towns of Roses, Perpignan and Collioure.
Portuguese conquest of Goa
Shortly after a failed attack on Calicut in 1509, Albuquerque was replenishing his troops in Cochin and organizing an expedition with which to attack the Suez in the Red Sea, where the Mamluks were believed, correctly, to be preparing a new fleet to send to India against the Portuguese. The Portuguese Marshall Dom Fernando Coutinho had been killed in Calicut, fortuitously leaving Albuquerque with full, uncontested command of Portuguese forces in India. The Portuguese force was composed of 23 ships, 1200 Portuguese soldiers, 400 Portuguese sailors, 220 Malabarese auxiliaries from Cochin and 3000 "combatant slaves" ("escravos de peleja"). The expedition set sail for the Red Sea in late January 1510, in February 6th anchored by Canannore and in the 13th sighted Mount of Eli.
Miguel Costansó
On April 16, 1770, Costansó — along with friar Junípero Serra and ship captain Juan Pérez — boarded the galleon "San Antonio" in San Diego Bay and set sail for Monterey. The next day, Portolá led a new overland party out of San Diego also bound for Monterey, where they aimed to establish a mission and presidio. The "San Antonio" got buffeted by unfavorable ocean winds that blew it back south to Baja California, then as far north as the Farallon Islands, 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Monterey. Several sailors fell sick with scurvy. The "San Antonio" finally sailed into Monterey Bay on May 31, welcomed by the Portolá party which had arrived one week before.
Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas
About forty Spaniards embarked on the galley, and the galley itself was accompanied by a few frigates and smaller vessels, in which private individuals also embarked. The entire fleet consisted of 200 sail, counting galleys, galliots, frigates, vireys and other craft. More than 900 Spaniards were on the expedition.
Battle of Porto Bello
The settlement of Portobello was an important port on the Spanish Main. Following the failure of an earlier British naval blockade to prevent a fully laden treasure fleet sailing to Spain from Porto Bello in 1727, an action in which he had taken part, the then Vice Admiral Edward Vernon repeatedly claimed he could capture it with just six ships. Following his appointment to command the Jamaica Station, Vernon organised an expedition with just six ships, despite criticism that this was far too few. Vernon was a strong advocate of using small squadrons of powerfully armed warships hitting hard and moving fast rather than larger slower-moving expeditions that were prone to heavy losses through disease.
Juan Ponce de León
Ponce de León equipped three ships with at least 200 men at his own expense and set out from Puerto Rico on March 4, 1513. The only near contemporary description known for this expedition comes from Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, a Spanish historian who apparently had access to the original ships' logs or related secondary sources from which he created a summary of the voyage published in 1601. The brevity of the account and occasional gaps in the record have led historians to speculate and dispute many details of the voyage.
Gaspar de Portolà
They then marched back to San Diego, again failing to find Vizcaino's harbor on their way south. Surviving on mule meat for most of the journey, they arrived on January 24, 1770. 
One of Portolá's officers, Captain Vicente Vila, convinced him that he had actually been exactly on the Bay of Monterey when he placed his second cross at what later became Pacific Grove. After replenishing supplies at San Diego, Portolá and Serra decided on a joint expedition by land and sea to again search for the bay and establish a colony if they were successful. The "San Antonio" sailed on April 16, 1770. On board were Serra, Miguel Costansó, military engineer and cartographer, and Doctor Pedro Prat, army surgeon, along with a cargo of supplies for the new mission at Monterey. On April 17, after mustering what forces he could, Portolá's land expedition, which included lieutenant Pedro Fages, 12 Spanish volunteers, seven leather-jacket soldiers, five Baja California Indians, two muleteers, and Juan Crespí serving as the expedition's chaplain, again marched north.
Portuguese Navy
On 23 February 1916, in an operation led by Commander Leote do Rego from the cruiser "Vasco da Gama", the Portuguese Navy captures 38 German ships anchored in the Lisbon harbor. Other ships are captured in the Portuguese harbors of Mainland Portugal (Porto and Setubal), the Azores (Horta and Ponta Delgada), Madeira (Funchal), Cape Verde (São Vicente), Angola (Luanda), Mozambique (Mozambique Island, Beira and Lourenço Marques) and Portuguese India (Mormugão), in a total of 72 German and Austro-Hungarian vessels. This is followed by the German declaration of war to Portugal on 9 March, marking the formal Portuguese entrance in World War I.
Capture of Portobello (1601)
The war with Spain was continuing and English privateers were still roaming the Spanish American empire for prizes and attacking ports. In November 1600 English privateer William Parker sailed from Plymouth, England in command of a modest venture consisting of the 100 ton "Prudence", the 60 ton "Pearl" commanded by Robert Rawlins, a pinnace and two shallops with crew in all numbering 200 men. At Cubagua they were offered a ransom in exchange for a number of pearl boats they had seized. Near Cabo de le Veda they captured a Portuguese slaving ship. Parker next guided what was now a flotilla of 6 ships to the east of a recently abandoned Nombre de Dios and approached Portobello in pinnaces and shallops with the help of the black guides.
Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II
The attack on Port Moresby was codenamed the "MO Operation" and was divided into several parts or phases. In the first, Tulagi would be occupied on May 3, the carriers would then conduct a wide sweep through the Coral Sea to find and attack and destroy Allied naval forces, with the landings conducted to capture Port Moresby scheduled for May 10. The MO Operation featured a force of 60 ships led by the two carriers: and , one light carrier (), six heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and 15 destroyers. Additionally, some 250 aircraft were assigned to the operation including 140 aboard the three carriers. However, the actual battle did not go according to plan, although Tulagi was seized on May 3, the following day, aircraft from the American carrier struck the invasion force. For the next two days, both the American and Japanese carrier forces tried unsuccessfully to locate each other. On May 7, the Japanese carriers launched a full strike on a contact reported to be enemy carriers, the report though turned out to be false. The strike force found and struck only an oiler, the and the destroyer . The American carriers also launched a strike on incomplete reconnaissance, instead of finding the main Japanese carrier force, they only located and sank the "Shōhō". On May 8, the opposing carrier forces finally found each other and exchanged strikes. The 69 aircraft from the two Japanese carriers succeeded in sinking carrier "Lexington" and damaging "Yorktown", in return the Americans damaged the "Shōkaku". Although "Zuikaku" was the left undamaged, aircraft losses to "Zūikakū" were heavy and the Japanese were unable to support a landing at Port Moresby. As a result, the MO Operation was cancelled. Although they managed to sink a carrier, the battle was a disaster for the IJN. Not only was the attack on Port Moresby halted, which constituted the first strategic Japanese setback of the war, all three carriers that were committed to the battle would now be unavailable for the operation against Midway.
Preston Somers Expedition
England's war with Spain had been going on for nearly ten years; Spanish colonies, warships and merchants were subject to attacks by English privateers. Many of these were ordered by the Queen Elizabeth I but a number were also operated as joint stock ventures similar to the English Armada. In 1595 one such expedition was that of Amyas Preston and George Sommers with their privateer ships "Ascension", "Gift", "Julian" and "Darling" (owned by Sir Walter Raleigh), "Angel", and a pinnace called "Delight". The expedition's purpose was to co operate with Raleigh's work of exploration in the same year at Trinidad and Guiana in the hope of finding El Dorado as well as to commit to amphibious descents throughout the Spanish Main with them. For this purpose they had a disembarkation force of 300 men, many of them were professional soldiers of the English army who had been fighting against the Spanish in Holland and in France. Preston made a name for himself during the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. Somers first sailed into the public eye when, heading toward Spain in command of the "Flibcote", and in the company of three other vessels, he brought home Spanish prizes worth more than £8,000.
Gaspar de Portolà
The first ship, the "San Carlos", sailed from La Paz on January 10, 1769 and a second, the "San Antonio" sailed from Cabo San Lucas on February 15. At the same time, the various elements of the land parties began to move
north from Loreto, Baja California Sur. The land expedition was assembled at Velicatá, where Serra established his first new mission. From there, Portolá's plan called for splitting the land expedition in two. The lead group, charged with building a wagon trail and pacifying the natives, was led by Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada, and departed from Velicatá on March 24. With Rivera was the priest Juan Crespí, diarist for the Franciscans. The expedition led by Portolá, which included Junípero Serra (the President of the Missions), along with a combination of missionaries, settlers, and leather-jacket soldiers, including José Raimundo Carrillo, left Velicata on May 15. Junípero Serra founded two more missions during the expedition: San Diego de Alcalá on July 16, 1769 and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on June 3, 1770.
Rivera reached the site of present-day San Diego in May, established a camp in the area that is now Old Town and awaited the arrival of the others. Because of an error by Vizcaíno in determining the latitude of the San Diego Harbor, the ships passed by it and landed too far north before finding their way back. The "San Antonio" arrived on April 11 and the "San Carlos", the first ship to leave La Paz, having met with fierce winds and storms on the journey, arrived on April 29. A third vessel was to follow with supplies, but it was probably lost at sea. The land expedition of Portolá arrived on June 29. After their arduous journeys, most of the men aboard ship were ill, chiefly from scurvy, and many had died. Out of a total of 219 who left Baja California, little more than 100 now survived.
Portuguese Navy
A major joint Portuguese-Spanish naval and military expedition was organized in April 1625 to retake Salvador da Bahia in Brazil from the Dutch that had captured the city one year before. The Portuguese fleet was headed by Manuel de Menezes and composed by 22 ships and about 4,000 men, including the "Terço da Armada da Coroa de Portugal".
Portolà expedition
Sergeant Ortega, contacting a group of Indians, thought they were trying to notify him of a ship anchored somewhere up north; for weeks, the men of the expedition had sought desperately for a harbor with a ship laden with food supplies. Heading a party of scouts up and over Montara Mountain, Ortega reached the area now known as Devil's Slide. They found their northward advance blocked by the mouth of a vast bay they could not identify — known today as San Francisco Bay. Ortega and his scouts turned back south along the west shore of the bay, around the southern end and back up the east side. However, they only got as far as present-day Hayward before turning back — because their allotted three days were up. When the scouts returned and described what they had seen, Portolá led the entire party up into the hills, to a place where the entire San Francisco Bay was visible. Only friar Crespí seemed to grasp the importance of the bay, describing it in his diary as "a very large and fine harbor, such that not only all the navy of our Most Catholic Majesty but those of all Europe could take shelter in it."
Gaspar de Portolà
Eager to press on to Monterey Bay, Portolá and his expedition, consisting of Juan Crespí, 63 leather-jacket soldiers and 100 mules loaded down with provisions, headed north on July 14, 1769. Marching two to four leagues (1 league = 2.6 miles) a day, they reached the site of present-day Fullerton, at Hillcrest Park on July 30, 1769. They next traveled to Brea Canyon, in Brea, California, on July 31, 1769. They arrived in what is now Los Angeles on August 2. The following day, they marched out the Indian trail that would one day become Wilshire Boulevard to the present site of Santa Monica. Winding around to the area of later Saugus, now part of Santa Clarita, they reached the area to become Santa Barbara on August 19, and the present day San Simeon area on September 13. Unable to remain on the coast due to the steep, difficult terrain, the party turned inland. They marched through the San Antonio Valley and on October 1, Portolá's party emerged from the Santa Lucia Mountains and reached the mouth of the Salinas River.
Portolà expedition
Captain Rivera's column arrived on May 14, having trekked 300 miles (480 km) in 50 days from Velicatá without losing a single man or having a sick one — although with their food rations drastically reduced. Rivera's men moved the camp slightly inland near the San Diego River, building the new camp on a hill now known as Old Town. They erected a stockade and mounted a cannon on land that later became the Presidio of San Diego.
Battle of Ponta Delgada
The naval Battle of Ponta Delgada, "Battle of São Miguel" or specifically the "Battle of Vila Franca do Campo" took place on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, during the War of the Portuguese Succession. A combined corsair expedition, mainly French (an Anglo-French fleet with Portuguese forces included), sailed against a Spanish naval force made up of Portuguese and Castilian ships, to preserve control of the Azores under pretender António, Prior of Crato and to defend the islands from incorporation into the Iberian Union—the largest French force sent overseas before the age of Louis XIV.
Los Osos, California
The Portolà expedition was the beginning of a push by Spain to explore the northwestern frontier of Las Californias, and to establish both military outposts and missions. The move was intended to counter what were thought to be colonial designs by Russian traders from Alaska and the British fur companies in the Pacific Northwest. (See: Fort Ross, Russian-American Company, Hudson's Bay Company) The Portolà expedition was organized by the "Visitadór Generàl" of New Spain, José de Gálvez, following up (belatedly) on previous maritime expeditions, most notably that of Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602-3, who visited and described many points along the coast, including Monterey Bay, Portolà's primary destination.
Raid on Puerto Caballos (1594)
England's war with Spain had been going on for nearly ten years and Spanish colonies, warships and merchants were subject to attacks by English privateers. These were operated by joint stock ventures similar to the English Armada and one such expedition was raised by the Earl of Cumberland in late 1592. Led by Captain James Langton in the lead ship "Anthony" of 120 tons, the "Pilgrim" of 100 tons under Captain Francis Slingsby, and a pinnace "Discovery", they set sail from Plymouth, England in early 1593.
Ivlia (ship)
Starting from Odessa (Ukraine) in 1989, "Ivlia" followed the routes of the ancient mariners on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean as well as the Atlantic, covering more than 3.000 nautical miles in six expedition seasons and visiting over 50 European ports, finally sailing up the river Seine to reach Paris. 
The expedition's progress was widely covered by the international media. During the time of the voyage, hundreds of articles were published, along with dozens of TV and radio reports. The ship was regularly visited by official delegations and thousands of tourists. Ivlia also took part in international maritime festivals: «Colombo'92» (Genoa, Italy), «Brest’92», «Cancal’93», «Whitbread Round the World Race '93» (Portsmouth) «Vieux Greements’94» (France). The radio constantly broadcast the expedition’s call sign. Over six seasons the crew members included more than 200 people – citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, France, Greece and Georgia.
Gallipoli Campaign
British and French submarine operations in the Sea of Marmara were the one significant area of success of the Gallipoli Campaign, forcing the Ottomans to abandon the sea as a transport route. Between April and December 1915, nine British and four French submarines carried out 15 patrols, sinking one battleship, one destroyer, five gunboats, 11 troop transports, 44 supply ships and 148 sailing vessels at a cost of eight Allied submarines sunk in the strait or in the Sea of Marmara. During the campaign there was always one British submarine in the Sea of Marmara, sometimes two; in October 1915, there were four Allied submarines in the region. "E2" left the Sea of Marmara on 2 January 1916, the last British submarine in the region. Four E-class and five B-class submarines remained in the Mediterranean Sea following the evacuation of Helles. By this time the Ottoman navy had been all but forced to cease operations in the area, while merchant shipping had also been significantly curtailed. The official German naval historian, Admiral Eberhard von Mantey, later concluded that had the sea-lanes of communication been completely severed the Ottoman 5th Army would likely have faced catastrophe. As it was these operations were a source of significant anxiety, posing a constant threat to shipping and causing heavy losses, effectively dislocating Ottoman attempts to reinforce their forces at Gallipoli and shelling troop concentrations and railways.
Malta convoys
Portcullis was the last direct convoy to Malta; in Operations Quadrangle A, B, C and D, pairs of ships to Malta joined with ordinary west-bound convoys then rendezvoused with escorts from Force K, arriving with no loss. In Operation Quadrangle A, convoy MW 15 of two ships was a side convoy from the new Port Said to Benghazi service. When the main convoy arrived off Barce in Libya, the ships for Malta rendezvoused with eight destroyer escorts and empty ships from the island. The ships exchanged escorts for the return voyage to Grand Harbour, MW 15 arriving on 10 December. Operation Quadrangle B covered convoy MW 16 of one tanker escorted by six destroyers and a minesweeper. Four ships of MW 13 were formed into convoy MW 12 and nine destroyers departed Grand Harbour on 17 December. Quadrangle B was attacked by JU 88s the next day to no effect. Several escorts handed over MW 12 at Barce to ships from Alexandria and took over convoy MW 17, two freighters in Operation Quadrangle C to Malta. Convoy ME 13 was omitted and convoy ME 14 with four empty ships sailed from Malta on 28 December with five destroyers. In December, of general cargo and of fuel oil was delivered. Convoy MW 18 with a tanker and a merchant ship departed from Alexandria in Operation Quadrangle D with six destroyer escorts, arriving at Malta on 2 January 1943.
Afonso de Albuquerque
Soon after the failed attack, Afonso assembled a fleet of 23 ships and 1200 men. Contemporary reports state that he wanted to fight the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate fleet in the Red Sea or return to Hormuz. However, he had been informed by Timoji (a privateer in the service of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire) that it would be easier to fight them in Goa, where they had sheltered after the Battle of Diu, and also of the illness of the Sultan Yusuf Adil Shah, and war between the Deccan sultanates. So he relied on surprise in the capture of Goa from the Sultanate of Bijapur. He thus completed another mission, for Portugal wanted not to be seen as an eternal "guest" of Kochi and had been coveting Goa as the best trading port in the region.
SS Portmar (1919)
On the morning of 15 June 1943, USAT "Portmar", loaded with ammunition and fuel, left Sydney for Brisbane as part of convoy GP55. The convoy consisted of ten merchant ships (including "Portmar") and three Landing Ship Tank vessels, escorted by the "Bathurst"-class corvettes , , , , and . "Portmar" was the middle of three ships in the fourth column. "Portmar" had trouble maintaining position during the voyage, and at 17:15 on 16 June, when the convoy was east of Smoky Cape, was passing to port of USS "LST-469" to regain convoy position. At this time, the Japanese submarine "I-174" fired a spread of torpedoes at the convoy from the convoy's starboard: one torpedo struck USS "LST-469", and another hit "Portmar" almost immediately after. The volatile cargo was ignited, and the order was given to abandon ship. "Portmar" sank ten minutes later, with two crewmen killed. The 71 survivors were recovered by HMAS "Deloraine", which then took USS "LST-469" (which had survived the attack, but was immobilised and had suffered heavy casualties) in tow, and headed for Coffs Harbour. "Warnambool" and "Kalgoorlie" depth-charged the area until contact was lost: they were unable to damage "I-174", nor were subsequent searches able to locate her. The attack on convoy GP55 was the last Japanese submarine attack in Australian waters. The loss of shipping, particularly the LST that was part of MacArthur's Seventh Amphibious Force, forced removal of troops and supplies for the occupation of Kiriwina and Woodlark Island, the first offensive amphibious operations.
Spanish Armada
Prior to the undertaking, Pope Sixtus V allowed Philip II of Spain to collect crusade taxes and granted his men indulgences. The blessing of the Armada's banner on 25 April 1588, was similar to the ceremony used prior to the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. On 28 May 1588, the Armada set sail from Lisbon and headed for the English Channel. The fleet was composed of 130 ships, 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers, and bore 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns. The full body of the fleet took two days to leave port. It included twenty eight purpose-built warships, of which twenty were galleons, four galleys and four (Neapolitan) galleasses. The remainder of the heavy vessels were mostly armed carracks and hulks together with thirty-four light ships.
Spanish expedition to Balanguingui
By the mid-nineteenth century, the south of Mindanao and the south of the Philippines in general, were a usual haven of Muslim pirates, who devastated the coasts of the archipelago in search of booty and prisoners that they later sold in the market of Jolo. The Spanish government proposed the elimination of the pirates. To accomplish this, several expeditions were carried out against the pirate havens starting in 1843. One of the major expeditions was led by Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa, the governor-general of the Spanish colony, in early 1848. He organized a fleet of 19 warships at Manila under Brigadier José Ruiz de Apodaca including 2 steamers, 2 schooners and 3 brigs, plus several smaller vessels, including gunboats and feluccas. Three regular infantry companies under Lieutenant Colonel Arrieta were embarked on these ships on 27 January. Two other companies, a beefeater battalion, a contingent of police, an artillery detachment, and some engineers and workers were later embarked. The flagship of the fleet was the steamer "Reina de Castilla". The fleet was joined by several transports at Daitan, and, on 17 February, set sail to the major pirate base of Balanguingui. The fleet was reinforced on the way by several Filipino local vessels called "vintas" and 150 auxiliaries of Zamboanga.
Newfoundland expedition
The Newfoundland expedition (French: "Expédition à Terre-Neuve", Spanish: "Expedición a Terranova") was a series of fleet manoeuvres and amphibious landings in the coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador and Saint Pierre and Miquelon carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets during the French Revolutionary Wars. This expedition, composed of seven ships of the line and three frigates under the orders of Rear-Admiral Richery sailed from Cadiz in August 1796 accompanied by a much stronger Spanish squadron, commanded by General Solano, which had the aim of escorting it to the coast of Newfoundland.
Siege of Porto Ferrajo
The Siege of Porto Ferrajo was a French attempt to force the surrender of the Tuscan fortress town of Porto Ferrajo (now Portoferraio) on the island of Elba following the French occupation of mainland Tuscany in 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Tuscan garrison was heavily outnumbered, but received significant support from British Royal Navy forces who controlled the Mediterranean Sea and ensured that supplies reached the garrison and that French supply convoys were intercepted. The French began the siege with 1,500 men in May 1801, later reinforced to more than 5,000, but could not make an impression on the fortress's defences, instead seeking to starve the defenders into submission with the support of a squadron of French Navy frigates operating off the coast.
4th Portuguese India Armada (Gama, 1502)
The 4th Armada was composed of 20 ships and between 800 and 1800 men. The Armada was originally envisaged as two squadrons - 15 ships under the admiral to head to India, 5 under the vice-admiral designated to patrol the mouth of the Red Sea. As it turns out, not all ships were ready by the launch date, so the armada was re-arranged into three squadrons, the first two squadrons (10 under admiral Vasco da Gama, 5 under his uncle, vice-admiral Vicente Sodré) to head out at once, and the five remaining ships to go out a little while later as a third squadron under Gama's cousin, Estêvão da Gama, with instructions to catch up to the main fleet along the way. (Whatever the mechanics behind the appointment, the 4th Armada certainly turned out to be a Gama family affair!)
George Anson's voyage around the world
Various schemes were proposed to attack Spanish possessions. Edward Vernon captured Portobelo in November 1739 with just six ships, and a second squadron to be led by George Anson, was to sail around Cape Horn with six warships carrying 500 troops with instructions that might be described as "ambitious". These were to capture Callao in Peru (the port that served the nearby capital Lima) and if possible take Lima as well, capture Panama with its treasure, seize the galleon from Acapulco and lead a revolt of the Peruvians to Spanish colonial power. An earlier proposal to also capture Manila was dropped.
Operation Portcullis
During the evening of 1 December, convoy MW 14 departed Port Said and on 2 December, rendezvoused with the tanker "Yorba Linda" and two Hunt-class destroyers. Next day, the cruiser "Orion" and three destroyers arrived from Alexandria and on 4 December, when south-west of Crete, the convoy was joined by Force K, two cruisers and four destroyers from Malta. The convoy steamed for Malta at , receiving only a few ineffectual attacks from Axis torpedo-bombers. The convoy reached Grand Harbour early on 5 December and received the customary welcome from the populace and garrison. As the swift unloading of the ships began, congestion in the harbour was relived by Operation MH 2, the dispatch of Convoy ME 11 on 7 December, containing "Yoruba Linda" from MW 14 and eight ships from Pedestal and Stoneage. By 9 December the ships were unloaded.
Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest
The first voyage was that of Juan José Pérez Hernández of the frigate "Santiago" (alias "Nueva Galicia"). Although intending to reach Alaska, the expedition turned back at Haida Gwaii. Pérez and his crew of 86 were the first known Europeans to visit the Pacific Northwest.
In 1775 a second voyage of ninety men led by Lieutenant Bruno de Heceta aboard the "Santiago", set sail from San Blas, Nayarit on March 16, 1775 with orders to make clear Spanish claims for the entire Northwestern Pacific Coast. Accompanying Heceta was the schooner "Sonora", alias "Felicidad", (also known as the "Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe"), initially under the command of Juan Manuel de Ayala. The long "Sonora" and its crew complement of 16 were to perform coastal reconnaissance and mapping, and could make landfall in places the larger "Santiago" was unable to approach on its previous voyage; in this way, the expedition could officially reassert Spanish claims to the lands north of New Spain it visited. Ayala took command of the packet boat "San Carlos", alias "Toysón de Oro", also sailing with the expedition, after its initial commander, Miguel Manrique, took ill soon after leaving San Blas. Heceta then gave Bodega y Quadra command of the "Sonora". Francisco Antonio Mourelle served as Bodega y Quadra's pilot and the two forged a strong and enduring friendship.
Azores Voyage of 1589
Upon his arrival Cumberland sailed in Angra Bay, sighted, trapped and then immediately launched an attack on the Spanish and Portuguese ships. He was assisted by another English ship, the "Barke of Lyme" which was one of Sir Walter Raleigh's vessels commanded by Captain Marksburie which happened to be in those parts. Under fire from the fort's cannon he assaulted seven ships; the largest a Spanish galleon where a running battle ensued but as the ship tried to escape - English gunfire damaged her so much that she sank taking with her pearls, silver and 200,000 golden ducats. An attempt on a large heavily armed Portuguese carrack failed which then managed to escape. Another a Portuguese carrack however which had come from Malacca and India was captured when the English sailors boarded her. Overall seven ships were captured and these included the Spanish ships "Nuestra Señora del Loreto", "San Juan", "El Espiritu Sanctu" and the "San Cristobal" coming from Spanish America. The riches included silk, gold, silver and porcelain. From two Portuguese ships Cumberland took cargoes of elephants teeth, grain, coconuts, and Guinean goat skins. Whilst the battle was raging English captives on the island managed to escape, stole a small boat and were subsequently rescued by the "Margaret". After the capture and destruction of the vessels the English ships gathered some water further round the island and set sail to Faial Island.
Battle of Porto Praya
On 13 March 1781 Johnstone sailed from Spithead with a fleet of 37 ships, including five ships of the line, three frigates, and a large number of troop convoy ships. In early April the fleet anchored in the neutral harbour of Porto Praya in the Portuguese-controlled Cape Verde Islands to take on water and supplies.
San Juan Expedition (1780)
The expedition, consisting of the transport "Penelope", two brigs, three sloops, and a tender, the "Royal George", sailed from Jamaica on 3 February 1780, escorted by the 21-year-old Captain Horatio Nelson in the 28-gun . Nelson was the highest-ranking officer present, but his authority was limited to naval operations. The overall commander was Captain (local rank of major) John Polson, who had at his disposal about 3,000 men, including 100 regulars of the 60th Royal American Regiment under himself, 140 of the 79th Liverpool Blues under Captain Richard Bulkeley, 240 Royal Jamaica Volunteers under Major James Macdonald, 250 members of the Jamaica Legion, and 125 of the Royal Batteaux Corps, plus an unspecified number of black volunteers.
On 24 March, after many delays awaiting the arrival of several Miskito Indian bowmen under Major James Lawrie, which failed to appear, the expedition anchored off San Juan del Norte. Three days later all Polson's troops were assembled aboard boats and advanced upriver divided in two contingents. On 9 April, Nelson, in the first hand-to-hand combat of his career, led an assault which captured a small Spanish battery on Bartola Island.
SS Portmar (1919)
Before 02:00 on 15 February 1942, "Portmar" sailed from Darwin as part of a convoy carrying reinforcements for the defenders of Timor. Also in the convoy were the transports , , and , with an escort made up of the cruiser , the destroyer , and the sloops and . "Portmar", along with "Tulagi", carried elements of the U.S. Army 148th Field Artillery while the other ships had Australian forces embarked. By 11:00, the ships had been spotted by a Japanese flying boat, which followed them for several hours before dropping bombs at around 14:00 with minimal effect. The next day, another flying boat began shadowing the convoy around 09:15, and the ships were attacked by a force of 45 Japanese aircraft two hours later. Light damage and some casualties were suffered aboard "Manua Loa", while "Portmar" was not damaged during the hour-long attack. The likelihood of further attacks and the believed imminent invasion of Timor resulted in orders to turn the convoy around received at 15:15, with all ships back at Darwin by midday on 18 February.
"Portmar" was still in Darwin Harbour the next day when a force of Japanese carrier-based aircraft attacked the city: the first time Australia had been attacked. She was heavily damaged during the attack, and was towed away from her mooring and run aground to prevent her from sinking. One of the crew was killed, and several wounded were later recovered by the examination vessel .
Portolà expedition
On the shore of La Paz on January 9, 1769, friar Junípero Serra blessed the flagship "San Carlos" and its chaplain, friar Fernando Parrón. José de Gálvez, addressing the men waiting to board, declared their final destination as Monterey and their mission to plant the holy cross among the Indians. Friar Parrón boarded the "San Carlos" along with captain Vicente Vila, followed by lieutenant Pedro Fages with his 25 Catalan volunteers; cartographer Miguel Costansó, who made maps and drawings to describe the journey; surgeon Pedro Prat; and a crew of 23 sailors, plus two blacksmiths, two boys, four cooks, and mate Jorge Estorace — a crew of 62 in all. Weighing anchor, the "San Carlos" headed south down the Gulf of California to round Cabo San Lucas and then head north along the Pacific coast.
Second Battle of Sirte
The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval engagement in which the escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta frustrated a much more powerful "Regia Marina" (Italian Navy) squadron. The British convoy was composed of four merchant ships escorted by four light cruisers, one anti-aircraft cruiser, and 17 destroyers. The Italian force comprised a battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and eight destroyers. Despite the initial British success at warding off the Italian squadron, the battle delayed the convoy's planned arrival before dawn, which exposed it to intense air attacks that sank all four merchant ships and one of the escorting destroyers in the following days. The battle occurred on 22 March 1942 in the Mediterranean, north of the Gulf of Sidra and southeast of Malta, during the Second World War.
Battle of Ponta Delgada
Terceira remained in the Pretender's hands, and in the spring of 1583 he managed to reinforce his garrisons there with 800 fresh French troops. Santa Cruz, who now enjoyed command of the sea, reacted swiftly. Secure within his Lisbon base he prepared an amphibious invasion of overwhelming force: 15,372 men and 98 ships, including 31 big merchantmen converted as troop transports, small vessels and landing craft, fighting galleons, 12 galleys and 2 galleasses. This time his aim was not to fight a fleet but to land an army—the task force could certainly defend itself if necessary, but its primary role was to put troops, together with their supporting equipment and supplies, on a selected beach-head and then to back them up until the military objectives had been gained.
Pinta (ship)
Most of the commerce of the time was the coastal commerce of the Mediterranean, so it was better if ships did not draw much water. As it sailed, the fleet of Columbus consisted of "Gallega" (the "Galician"), which he changed to "Santa María", and of "La Pinta" and "La Niña". Of these the first two were of a tonnage that should be rated as about one hundred and thirty tons. "La Niña" was much smaller, not more than fifty tons. One writer says that they were all without full decks, that is, that such decks as they had did not extend from stem to stern. Other authorities, however, speak as if "La Niña" was only an open vessel, and the two larger were decked. Columbus himself took command of "Santa María", Martin Alonso Pinzon of "La Pinta", and his brothers, Francis Martin and Vicente Yanez, of "La Niña". The whole company in all three ships likely numbered 90 men (Santa Maria-40, La Nina-24, La Pinta-26) although some historians cite 120 men.
Joan Crespí
In 1769, Crespí joined the expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá and Junípero Serra (see Timeline of the Portolá expedition). He traveled in the vanguard of the land expedition to San Diego, led by Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada, where a presidio and mission were established. Crespí then continued north with Portolá and Rivera to identify the port of Monterey. Because he was the only one of the Franciscans to make the entire journey by land, Crespí became the first official diarist for the missions. He was one of three diarists to document the first exploration by Europeans of interior areas of Alta California.
Portolà expedition
The ships arrived in San Diego first: the "San Antonio" on April 11 and the "San Carlos" on April 29, 1769. Many crew members on both ships had fallen ill — especially from scurvy — during their voyages. On May 1, lieutenant Pedro Fages, engineer Miguel Costansó, and mate Jorge Estorace came ashore from their anchorage in San Diego Bay, along with 25 soldiers and sailors still healthy enough to work. Searching for a source of fresh water and helped by Indians they encountered, they found a suitable river about nine miles northeast. Moving their ships as close as possible, they set up a camp on the beach, surrounding it with an earthen parapet with two cannons mounted. From their ships' sails and awnings they made two large hospital tents, as well as tents for the officers and friars. Then they moved the sick men to shore and settled them into the camp. The number of men engaged in those arduous labors diminished daily due to illness. Nearly all medicines and stored food had been consumed on the long voyages. Doctor Pedro Prat — himself weakened by scurvy — gathered medicinal herbs in the fields and desperately tried to cure the ill men. Heat scorched them by day, cold stung them by night. Two or three men died every day, until the combined sea expedition — which had started with over 90 men — had shrunk to eight soldiers and eight sailors.
USS Albany (CL-23)
In October 1909, while "Albany" was at Mare Island undergoing repairs and preparing to steam south to Magdalena Bay, she and other U.S. and foreign warships, participated in the Portola Festival at San Francisco, a city-wide fair held on 19–23 October to mark the 140th anniversary of the Portolá expedition, the first recorded Spanish (and European) land entry and exploration of present day California, and to proclaim to the world that San Francisco was recovered from its devastating 1906 earthquake.
Battle of the Mona Passage
The Battle of the Mona Passage was a naval engagement on 19 April 1782 between a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, and a small French fleet. It took place in the Mona Passage, the strait separating Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, shortly after the British victory at the Battle of the Saintes. The British overtook and captured four ships, two of which were 64-gun ships of the line.
Puerto del Hambre
After Francis Drake's successful negotiation of the Strait of Magellan to enter the Pacific Ocean, Spain determined to fortify the strait to hinder further piracy on its ships. Initially two forts commanded by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa were planned for Primera Angostura, but that location was discarded because the tide there would aid ships in crossing the narrow passage. A Spanish fleet of 23 ships and almost 3,000 men and settlers sailed from San Lucar de Barrameda on 27 September 1581, but storms destroyed two of the ships and caused the fleet to return to Spain. Two months later Sarmiento sailed again with 16 ships and 2,200 men. Diego Flores, Sarmiento's second in command, was separated from the main fleet by storms near the eastern entrance of the Strait of Magellan and returned to Spain with 6 ships.
Portuguese Navy
After the cession of hostilities in 1945, the Portuguese Navy organized an expedition to Timor to perform the reoccupation of the territory and to fully restore Portuguese sovereignty. The naval component of the expedition included the avisos "Bartolomeu Dias", "Gonçalves Zarco" and "Afonso de Albuquerque" and the transport ships "Angola", "Sofala" and "Quanza", carrying supplies and about 2000 troops.
Juan de Lángara
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.
Portuguese Navy
Following the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and having defeated António, Prior of Crato in the War of the Portuguese Succession, the Habsburg Philip II of Spain became King of Portugal as Philip I. Under the Iberian Union, Portugal continued to be formally an independent kingdom with its own Navy, but its foreign and naval policies became increasingly subordinated and oriented through the Spanish interests. 
The Portuguese Navy was soon ordered by King Philip to contribute to the Spanish Armada intended to invade England, this being an old Portuguese ally that started to be considered enemy by the alignment with the Spanish policies. Portugal provided the most powerful squadron of ships of the Armada, including its flagship, the galleon "São Martinho". The Portuguese participation included a squadron of galleons and another of galleys, with a total of 16 ships and more than 5,800 men. This expedition culminated in the naval battle of Gravelines.
Portolà expedition
After the four groups had reunited in San Diego, friars Juan Vizcaíno and Fernando Parrón stayed there with Junípero Serra to head the new mission San Diego. Friars Juan Crespí and Francisco Gómez continued north with Portolá. Serra's group aimed to establish Catholic missions to convert the natives of Alta California to Christianity. Crespí was the only one who traveled with the land expedition throughout its travels, so he became the official diarist for the missionaries (Portolá and Costansó also kept diaries). The Franciscans ultimately founded twenty-one missions at or near the Pacific Coast of what is now the state of California, in addition to one mission in Baja California. The string of California missions began at San Diego.
Blockade of Western Cuba
In early 1591 an English fleet had been organised for a raiding expedition to the Spanish West Indies. The expedition had been financed in a joint stock venture and was organised into three fleets. The first and main fleet was financed largely by John Watts but also had investment from Walter Raleigh, Paul Bayning and Sir Francis Drake. The expedition's captain was William Lane of the 120-ton "Centaur", while second in command was Captain Michael Geare in the 150-ton "Little John" and the 80-ton "Pegasus" under Captain Stephen Michell and the pinnace "Fifth Part". The back up fleet was composed of two ships – "Margaret" of 60 tons under Captain Christopher Newport and the 50-ton "Prudence" under Captain John Burough. The other part of the fleet had been financed largely by Sir George Carew – the 200-ton "Hopewell" (alias "Harry and John") of Captain William Craston, the 130-ton bark "Burr" of under Captain William Irish, the 35-ton "Swallow" under Ralph Lee and the 30-ton "Content" under Captain Nicholas Lisle. They were to attack and raid any Spanish or Portuguese shipping in the area of Hispaniola and Cuba with the aim of making a profit.
Zara-class cruiser
All four ships served with the main fleet in the interwar period, where they were primarily occupied with training exercises and fleet reviews. During the Spanish Civil War, "Gorizia" evacuated Italian nationals and "Pola" took part in non-intervention patrols. All four ships supported the Italian invasion of Albania in April 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. After Italy joined the wider conflict in 1940, the four ships saw extensive action in the Mediterranean Sea against British forces. The ships took part in the battles of Calabria and Cape Matapan, and in the latter engagement, "Zara", "Pola", and "Fiume" were all sunk in a one-sided night action with three British battleships.
Pobasso
Pobasso educated Finders about their fleet. He said its commander-in-chief was a man named 'Salloo' and was owned by the 'Rajah of Boni'. It boasted separate divisions totaling 60 perahu and 1000 crew. Each perahu was 25 tons with a crew of 20 to 25 men. He said that he had made at least six voyages to the Australian coast over 20 years and was the first to do so. They had no knowledge of any European settlement in Australia and upon Flinders telling him about Port Jackson, Pobasso's son took notes about the settlement in "foreign characters, writing from left to right". He also claimed to never have seen another foreign ship in the waters of the northern Australian coastline.
Portolà expedition
Portolá himself led the second land group, which set out from Loreto on March 9. Junípero Serra, assigned by José de Gálvez to head the Franciscan missionary team into Alta California, joined the Portolá party as chaplain and diarist. The 55-year-old Serra suffered a chronic infection of his left foot and leg, which Portolá believed had now become cancerous. He tried to dissuade Serra from joining the expedition, but Serra refused to withdraw; he told Portolá to go ahead, saying he would follow and meet up with Portolá on the frontier. Meanwhile, Serra assigned friar Miguel de la Campa from Mission San Ignacio to join the Portolá party. The party, driving a supply train and food animals, included 25 leather-jacket soldiers under sergeant José Francisco Ortega; muleteers; artisans; and 44 Christian Indians from Baja California, acting as servants and interpreters to communicate with Indians along the way. This group traveled slower than the Rivera party. Serra, trekking much of the way on a broken-down mule, finally caught up with Portolá, De la Campa and the other members of their party on May 5, just south of Velicatá. Following the trail blazed by the Rivera party, and less burdened by livestock, the Portolá party moved somewhat faster. Even so, they had an arduous trek over deserts and through ravines.
Battle of Barcelona
Marshall Charles de La Porte gained Collioure on 13 April and, together with Frederick Schomberg, laid siege to Perpignan. The French fleet would blockade the coast between Tarragona and Collioure, and battle with the Spanish fleet if necessary. The fleets of Ponant and Levant were concentrated at Barcelona. The squadron of Brest, composed of 21 sailing vessels, 2 fluyts and 6 fireships, doubled the Cabo de Gata on 10 June. The Toulon squadron, of 19 sailing vessels, 4 fluyts and 6 fireships under the Chevalier de Cangé, arrived to Barcelona on 8 May. The "flotte des galères" led by the bailli de Forbin, composed of 25 units, arrived on 21 June. The fleet was completed with a small squadron under Abraham Duquesne which had been left to cruise off the Catalan coast, and ten English and Dutch chartered vessels, thus increasing its strength to nearly 60 ships. After a war council was held aboard the fleet on 22 June, Maillé-Brézé put his ships on sail in order to intercept a Spanish fleet reportedly seen at the height of Tarragona.
Italian War of 1551–1559
The 1551 Ottoman Siege of Tripoli was the first step of the all-out Italian War of 1551–59 in the European theater, and in the Mediterranean the French galleys of Marseille were ordered to join the Ottoman fleet. In 1552, when Henry II attacked Charles V, the Ottomans sent 100 galleys to the Western Mediterranean, which were accompanied by three French galleys under Gabriel de Luetz d'Aramon in their raids along the coast of Calabria in Southern Italy, capturing the city of Reggio. In the Battle of Ponza in front of the island of Ponza, the fleet met with 40 galleys of Andrea Doria, and managed to vanquish the Genoese and capture seven galleys. This alliance would also lead to the combined Invasion of Corsica in 1553. The Ottomans continued harassing the Habsburg with various operations in the Mediterranean, such as the Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands in 1558, following a request by Henry II.
Portolà expedition
The first leg of the expedition consisted of five groups all departing from Baja California and heading north for San Diego. Three groups traveled by sea while two others traveled by land in mule trains. Three galleons, hastily built in San Blas, set sail for San Diego in early 1769: the "San Carlos", captained by Vicente Vila, a lieutenant of the royal navy (whose diary survives); the "San Antonio", captained by Juan Pérez, a native of Palma de Majorca; and the "San José". All three ships, crossing the Gulf of California from San Blas, arrived leaking on the east coast of Baja, requiring repairs there.
Santa Anna (1522 ship)
In 1531, "Santa Anna" routed on its own an Ottoman squadron of 25 ships. One year later, the carrack took part in the expedition against the Peloponnese under the command of Andrea Doria, during which Koroni, Patras and the Turkish fortresses protecting the entry to the Gulf of Corinth were seized. In 1535 "Santa Anna" fought in the successful campaign of the Spanish fleet under Charles V against Tunis, where the Spaniards managed to capture over 100 ships of the Barbary corsairs. Her firepower contributed significantly in the assault on the fortress La Goulette which controlled the entry to the harbour.
Juan Bautista de Anza
The Spanish began colonizing Alta California with the Portolá expedition of 1769-1770. The two-pronged Portolá effort involved both a long sea voyage against prevailing winds and the California Current, and a difficult land route from Baja California. Colonies were established at San Diego and Monterey, with a presidio and Franciscan mission at each location. A more direct land route and further colonization were desired, especially at present-day San Francisco, which Portolá saw but was not able to colonize. By the time of Juan Bautista de Anza's expedition, three more missions had been established, including Mission San Antonio de Padua in the Salinas Valley.
Andrea Doria
Nor did age lessen his energy, for in 1550, aged 84, he again put to sea to confront the Barbary pirates, but with no great success. In 1552 the Ottoman fleet under the command of Turgut Reis defeated the Spanish-Italian fleet of Charles V under the command of Andrea Doria in the Battle of Ponza (1552). War between France and the Empire having broken out once more, the French seized Corsica in the Invasion of Corsica (1553), then administered by the Genoese Bank of Saint George. Doria was again summoned, and he spent two years (1553–1555) on the island fighting the French with varying fortune.
Battle of the Strait of Hormuz
Piri Reis' attack on Muscat and Hormuz the previous year had triggered a Portuguese response from Goa, in the form of 30 galleons and caravels, 70 oar ships and 3,000 soldiers commanded by the Viceroy himself, Dom Afonso de Noronha. These forces were eventually not needed, but nonetheless, significant reinforcements were detached to secure Hormuz against possible Ottoman attacks in the near future. The Portuguese captain of Hormuz was then Dom António de Noronha, while the sea-captain of Hormuz was Dom Diogo de Noronha. Dom Diogo was joined by the flotilla of Dom Pedro de Ataíde, who had just returned from blockading the mouth of the Red Sea that year.
Battle of Djerba
The historian William H. Prescott wrote that the sources describing the Djerba campaign were so contradictory it was impossible to reconcile them. Most historians believe that the fleet assembled by the allied Christian powers in 1560 consisted of between 50 and 60 galleys and between 40 and 60 smaller craft. For example, Giacomo Bosio, the official historian of the Knights of St John writes that there were 54 galleys. Fernand Braudel also gives 54 warships plus 36 supply vessels. One of the most detailed accounts is by Carmel Testa who evidently has access to the archives of the Knights of St. John. He lists precisely 54 galleys, 7 brigs, 17 frigates, 2 galleons, 28 merchant vessels and 12 small ships. These were supplied by a coalition that consisted of Genoa, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Papal States, and the Knights of S. John. Matthew Carr gives the number of 200 ships for the Christian Alliance. The joint fleet was assembled at Messina under the command of Giovanni Andrea Doria, nephew of the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria. It first sailed to Malta, where bad weather forced it to remain for two months. During this time some 2,000 men were lost to sickness.
Ponnani
Towards the end of year 1507, Viceroy Fransico de Almeida was informed that a column of 13 Muslim ships had taken cargo - mainly spices - from Ponnani and were about to leave for the Red Sea. The Viceroy immediately decided corner the fleet. The decision was perhaps made with a view to retrieve the Portuguese prestige lost on account of the some incidents at Angediva and Dabul. Almeida himself commandeered the fleet of 12 vessels consisting of four "naus", six caravels and two gales. The fleet had about 6,000 European soldiers, led by a collection of noblemen such as Pero Barreti, Diogo Pires, Lourenco de Almeida, and Nuno da Cunha, son of Tristao da Cunha and a handful of Cochin Nairs. 
Ponnani at the time was defended by a strong battery of artillery (forty guns), and a number of well-armed ships under Kutti Ali. Kutti Ali of Ponnani was a powerful captain of the Samutiri Fleet having with him more than 7,000 armed men. The harbor was protected by fortifications on either side of the entrances. The Portuguese writers later recorded that "the men were rather frightened by the prayers and shouts of the enemy" as approached the port. Tristao da Cunha defeated the Muslim forces (24 November 1507) in the subsequent engagement. Eighteen Portuguese were killed in the assault. Lorenzo was wounded by the Muslims and the fight was stubborn. Muslim ships were burnt, and the Portuguese seized their arms and ammunitions. The commodities that were made ready for despatch to Red Sea were also taken over by the Portuguese. The Ponnani town was looted, burnt and destroyed.
Junípero Serra
Over six months dragged on without a single Indian convert to mission San Diego. On January 24, 1770, the 74 exhausted men of the Portolá expedition returned from their exploratory journey up the coast to San Francisco. They had survived by slaughtering and eating their mules along the return trek south. Commander Gaspar de Portolá, engineer and cartographer Miguel Costansó, and friar Juan Crespí all arrived in San Diego with detailed diaries of their trip. They reported large populations of Indians living along the coast who seemed friendly and docile, ready to embrace the gospel. Serra fervently wrote to the guardian of the college of San Fernando, requesting more missionaries willing to face hardships in Alta California.
Portolà expedition
The Portolà expedition () was a Spanish voyage of exploration in 1769–1770 that was the first recorded European land entry and exploration of the interior of the present-day U.S. state of California. It was led by Gaspar de Portolà, governor of "Las Californias", the Spanish colonial province that included California, Baja California and other parts of present-day Mexico and the United States. The expedition led to the founding of Alta California and contributed to the legitimacy of Spanish territorial claims in the disputed and unexplored regions along the Pacific coast of North America.
English Armada
The English fleet lost about 40 ships, plus the 18 launches destroyed or captured at Corunna and Lisbon. Fourteen of the ships were lost directly to the actions of Spanish naval forces: three at Corunna; six were lost to actions led by Padilla, three to Bazán and two to Aramburu. The rest were lost to a stormy sea as the fleet made its return voyage to England. The outbreak of disease on board the vessels was also transmitted to the port town populations in England on its return. None of the campaign's aims had been accomplished, and for a number of years this expedition's results discouraged further joint-stock adventures on such a scale.
The English expeditionary force had sustained a heavy loss of ships, troops and resources, but only brought back 150 captured cannon and £30,000 of plunder, and had not inflicted decisive damage on the Spanish forces. Another indirect minor strategic benefit was, perhaps, a temporary disruption to Spanish military shipping activity, and the diversion of Spanish imperial resources that might have contributed to a mutiny by troops under the command of Parma in Flanders that August.
Portuguese Navy
Following the execution of Louis XVI of France, by the French revolutionaries, Portugal enters the anti-revolutionary Coalition. In 1793, the Portuguese Navy was tasked with transporting by sea and escorting the Portuguese Expeditionary Army sent to help Spain in the War of the Pyrenees against France. This was done by the Transport Squadron organized with four ships of the line, one frigate, four transport ships and 10 merchant ships.