Juan Bautista Azopardo
| Juan Bautista Azopardo | |
|---|---|
Juan Bautista Azopardo, Naval Museum - Tigre
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| Born |
19 February 1772 Senglea, Malta |
| Died | 23 October 1848 (aged 76) Buenos Aires |
| Allegiance |
 Argentina
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| Service/branch | Argentine Navy |
| Years of service | 1804 - 1827 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | British invasions of the Río de la Plata, Argentine War of Independence, Cisplatine War |
Juan Bautista Azopardo (19 February 1772 in Senglea, Malta – 23 October 1848 in Buenos Aires) was a Maltese privateer and military man who fought under the flags of the Netherlands, Spain and Argentina.
Juan Bautista Azopardo was born in Senglea, Malta, the son of Rosina (née Romano) and Salvatore Azopardo. As a young man he studied naval architecture at the French arsenal in Toulon.
He then served with the French and the British fleets, the latter under the command of Admiral John Jervis. He captained the tartanes San Antonio e Anime del Porgatorio. He later served as a privateer with a Letter of marque from the Netherlands, and later with a Letter of marque from Spain against England.
Azopardo arrived in the Río de La Plata area in the first years of the 19th century.
During the war between England and the Batavian Republic (the Netherlands), he served on the schooner The Hoop and took part in the capture of the British frigate HMS Neptune which had arrived at the port of Montevideo as a prize on 21 January 1804. It carried 256 slaves. The prize Captain was the Frenchman Hipólite Mordeille. Azopardo served as second in command of the privateer frigate Dromedario with a Letter of marque from Montevideo, captained by Mordeille.
The frigate Dromedario transported some of the troops which fought against the first British Invasion (1806) of Buenos Aires. Along with his captain and the rest of the Dromedario crew, they fought in the final assault to the Brisith fortress in Buenos Aires where the remnants of the British forces under general Beresford were. During the second British invasion (1807) of Buenos Aires they transported artillery pieces on the Paraná River for the city's defense. For his valor and gallantry, the Spanish Royal government made him a Lieutenant Colonel of the urban Militias.
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