José Prudencio Padilla
| José Prudencio Padilla | |
|---|---|
| Born |
19 March 1784 Riohacha, Colombia |
| Died | 2 October 1828 (aged 44) Bogotá, Colombia |
| Allegiance | |
| Service/branch |
 Spanish Navy Colombian National Navy Bolivarian Armada of Venezuela
|
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
Admiral José Prudencio Padilla López (19 March 1784, in Riohacha, Colombia[1] – 2 February 1828) was a Colombian military leader who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence. He is best known for his victory in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo on 24 July 1823, in which a royalist Spanish fleet was defeated.
José Prudencio Padilla (Riohacha, Colombia, March 19, 1784 - Bogotá, Colombia, October 2, 1828) was a hero in the battles of independence for Gran Colombia (present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama). He was the foremost naval hero of the campaign for independence led by Simón Bolívar, the creator of the first Navy and Admiral of Great Colombia.
His parents were Andres Padilla, who was a builder of small boats, and Lucia Lopez. He started life as a seaman in the domestic service of merchant vessels in port and homeland at 14 years old and appeared as porter at the Royal Spanish chamber of the New Kingdom of Granada. On October 21, 1805 he received his baptism of fire at the battle of Trafalgar, at which he was taken prisoner by the English. In 1808, after his release he returned to Spain, where he was appointed to the boatswain's arsenal at Cartagena de Indias. On April 11, 1811 he took part in the decision of the people of Gethsemane, who, in sympathy with the city of Cartagena, joined in the proclamation of independence of Cundinamarca, thus disregarding the authority of the metropolis. In 1814 he saw action at Tolu and captured a sloop of war realistically with 170 crew that led to Panama. Although the ship he captured had better gunships than the one he commanded, it could not resist the attack and surrendered. In recognition of this, the government awarded Padilla granadino with promotion to second lieutenant of frigate.
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