Treasure ships plying the Pacific for 250 years.
Relying on the base founded in Manila by the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the sailing route east across the Pacific Ocean pioneered by Andres de Urdaneta, Spain in 1565 established a regular trade route between its colony in the Philippines and its empire in New Spain (modern-day Mexico). From Acapulco, the ships would sail almost due west to the Marianas and Philippine Islands. From the Philippines, the ships would sail north and east to about 36° north latitude and then turn east and utilize the prevailing winds to reach the coast of California. From there, the ships would travel south to Acapulco. After conquering the Inca Empire, the Spanish conquistadors had discovered a huge deposit of silver in Peru. Not long thereafter, the colony at Manila opened trade with China and found that the Chinese Empire had a great thirst for silver. The Spanish trade route across the Pacific served two purposes. It provided an outlet for the large amounts of silver being mined in Peru, which was overwhelming the European economy. It also brought to New Spain and thence to Europe highly-valued Chinese products, such as silk, damask, and porcelain. Only one or two galleons were dispatched each year. In order to carry all the cargo required, though, the galleons grew in size. In an era when a ship of 200 tons was considered large, the Manila-Acapulco galleons were about 600 tons. Because the Pacific was considered a Spanish lake, many of the galleons were unarmed (allowing them to be loaded with even more valuable cargo). In 1586, though, an English privateer named Thomas Cavendish decided to attack this weak link. With a commission from Queen Elizabeth I, he departed England with three ships. The largest was the 120-ton Desire, carrying 18 cannons. In November 1587, the Desire and the smaller ship Content, intercepted the Spanish galleon Santa Ana, which was proceeding south along the coast of Baja California. The Santa Ana had no cannon and the crewmembers tried, unsuccessfully, to defend themselves using small arms. After capturing the galleon, Cavendish had the Spanish crew put shore. He and his men then took the most valuable items off the galleon, but there was so much that they could not take it all. The privateers then sailed east across the Pacific to elude pursuers. The Comfort was lost at sea. Cavendish and the Desire returned to England in September 1588. Cavendish was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and became one of the richest men in England. The raid was only a minor setback for the Manila-Acapulco trade. The galleons continued to ply their route until 1815, when Mexico became independent.