RAYO

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RAYO

Post by shipstamps » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:39 pm

Pedro de Torres who followed the directions of Admiral Antonio Gaztañeta y De Iturribálzaga for the Spanish Navy built the ship-of-the-line RAYO on the Royal shipyard in Havana, Cuba.
A two-decker.
Displacement 1.738 tons. Dim. 55 x 15.8 x 7.9m., length of keel 45.8m.
Armament 30 – 24pdr, 32 – 18pdr, 18 – 8pdr. guns.
Crew 453.
1749 Completed. Building cost 143.640 Peso of “real of eight”.

The name RAYO was not her official name; her official name was SAN PEDRO, but the continuous use of saint names, was the name RAYO also used as her official name later. The name given on the stamp EL RAYO is not correct.

1762 Under command of José Solana until January 1763.
1765 At that time the already very old Juan José Navarro was appointed as commander of a squadron of nine ships, two cambequines (xebec?) and five smaller ships, which were concentrated at Cartagena. Navarro hoisted his flag on the RAYO, which was under command of José de Rojas.
The Squadron left for Italy with on board Archduchess Luisa Maria, after she disembarked, Princess Maria Luisa de Parma, the would be bride of Prince de Asturias embarked for her voyage to Spain.

1779 Command of the RAYO was taken over by Capitan of the Navio Manuel Gonzáles, and the RAYO was the flagship of Lieutenant General Miguel Gastón she was in the rear-guard of the squadron of Don Luis de Córdoba. during the operation in the English Channel together with the French fleet to make an invasion on British soil what failed.
Between this operations she participated in many fleet maneuvers, and the capture of several important British convoys, including the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, when she was under command of Gonzáles Guiral, during this battle, she got damage on her masts, rigging, sails and hull.

During 1780 was she a unit of the Spanish/ French fleet, which besieged Gibraltar for more as three years.

After the war she needed repair and her commander of that time, made the suggestion for doubling or sheating her hull, but he got the orders only to drydock her, and by Real Orders it was said that her sister the FENIX at that time in Royal Navy hands did not have any doubling, and she was the best ship in the Royal Navy they had.

1784 Under command of Baltasar de Sesma.
During 1784 took she part in the operations against the Barbary pirates, RAYO was the flagship of Admiral Antonio Barceló,

1785 It was urgently needed to transport some regiments from Guadalajara, Spanish mainland to Minorca, and the RAYO in company with the frigates PILAR and LORETO took care of this transport.
February 1790 was she part of the squadron of José Solana y Bota, Marquis del Socorro after the incident of Nutka (Nootka Incident or also known as the Nootka Controversy, which brought Europe to the brink of war before Spain backed down via the Nootka Convention in 1790.) and used during that time for actions off Finisterre and the Strait of Gibraltar until December when she entered Cádiz for decommission. At that time she was under command of Brigadier Fernando Reinosa.

From 1798 till 1803 in reserve at La Carrace, a much-needed overhaul was necessary, which took place on the La Carraca shipyard under supervision of Engineer Honorato de Bouyon in 1803.
She was enlarged by adding a third complete gundeck, increasing her guns to a total of 100.
After the alternations her sailing capacity were reduced, and she was now known as a slow sailer.
April 1805, the guns of the second battery deck were replaced by 24 pdr. guns.

She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, then armed with 100 guns under command of Rear-Admiral Don Enrique Reynaldo MacDonnell.
The RAYO was one of the first ships to commence battle and one of the last to resist. During the evening of that battle MacDonnell, despite the damage the RAYO had suffered, managed to bring her to the shelter of Placer de Rota, a small port. During the battle she suffered 4 men killed and 14 wounded.
During the night he and his crew did so much as they could to repair the RAYO, and when dawn came he sailed out again in search for the enemy. His daring intentions were to recapture some captured Spanish vessels back.
She was taken by HMS DONEGAL, on 23 October, but due to bad weather she drove of her anchors and was wrecked on the coast near Arenas Gordas, after 57 year of honorable services in the Real Armada she was a total wreck and lost.
She was the oldest ship of the three fleets which took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.
When she got wrecked several sailors drowned, among them constable Manuel López Torrao, under the survivors was MacDonnell a ship lieutenant, 3 naval cadets, a pilot and 45 British sailors who were taken prisoner after the wrecking of the RAYO.

The RAYO with a lifespan of 57 years,this longevity was due to the magnificent tropical woods, Cuban cedar and mahogany hardwoods of which she was made.

On Cuba 1980 3c sg 2653 and 1989 5c sg 3452.

Source: http://todoababor.webcindario.com/listado/r_.htm , with thanks to Mr. Mario Rosner for the translation. Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy by John D Harbron. Various other web-sites.
Attachments
SG2653
SG2653
SG3452
SG3452

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