8/25/2023 0 Comments Armada de mexico escuela navalOnce back in Mexico, the trio of Zaragoza, Captain Azueta and Vice Adm. During this trip, the hardy little ship’s name was repeated with pleasure and praise in the columns of the newspapers of those distant countries. The Zaragoza has completed her repairs and will sail for Guaymas to-morrow.įrom there the ship sailed to Honolulu, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Hong Kong, Ceylon, Adam, Port Said and up through the Suez, Toulon and back to Veracruz on July 3, 1897, after showing the Mexican tricolor throughout most of the seven seas in a 27-month cruise. He is a highly polished gentleman, a thorough sailor and an earnest patriot of the Mexican Republic. Captain Manuel Azueta was born in Mexico 33 years ago, and was educated at the naval school in Spain, and has been in the service of the republic 18 years. The Zaragoza is a French built steel corvette with an armament of six 14-centimeter, or about 5-inch guns, two Nordenfeldt quick-fire and two Hotchkiss guns. Prominent among the nimble sailors was the little live-year-old son of the commander. The sails were quickly furled and presently the topgallant and royal yards and topgallant masts all came down together on deck with a precision not always found even on crack American and English men-of-war. At the order, the little Mexican tars ran aloft arid in a short space of time the canvas dropped simultaneously from the yards. To exhibit the seamanship of his crew Captain Azueta put them through the naval evolutions of sail drill and sending down the lighter yards. Yesterday afternoon a public reception was held on board of the Mexican war vessel Zaragoza, lying off the oil works, and a large party of visitors enjoyed the graceful and hearty hospitality of Captain Azueta and his brother officers. The Mexican War Vessel the Scene of a Public Reception. One of whom left the following impression: Zaragoza had her hull inspected and cleaned in dry-dock in San Francisco in August at which point while on the circumnavigation that the corvette was boarded and observed by Americans in California. The second stage was to be commanded again by Monasterio with a young captain by the name of Manuel Azueta as ship’s master, who brought his toddler son Jose along for the epic trip. It was divided into two stages: the first was commanded by experienced Cape Horn master English merchant skipper Carey Brenton, who took command in Tampico, where he sailed on April 5 to tour Central, and South America and passed through the Strait of Magellan to reach Acapulco on July 29. To display the new ship, it was decided to attempt the first Mexican circumnavigation of the globe in 1895-97. She then sailed in her maiden voyage to Veracruz at a slow rate in nine weeks, carrying the first national prototype kilogram of platinum-iridium to arrive in Mexico. The ship also carried enough small arms for a decent landing party and small, wheeled cannon for the same.Ī force of officers and contract sailors commanded by Brigadier Gen/Vice Admiral Angel Ortiz Monasterio (at the time the Navy was part of the Army) collected the ship from France November 16, 1891, placing her in commission then. The “Chocolaterie d’aiguebelle (Drome)” label on this card is from the French Chocolat d’Aiguebelle company, a candy maker in the late 19th and early 20th century who included produced a series of naval vessel cards drawn typically from French and French-made vessels.īeing built in France, her armament consisted of a half-dozen Schneider-Canet made 140mm (5.5-inch) rapid-fire naval rifles as her main battery, two Nordenfelt 57mm guns, and a pair of 37mm (1.5-inch) Hotchkiss revolving guns for defense against small boats. The man-of-war was configured to be crewed by 21 officers and 98 enlisted, she had berthing for 20-40 midshipmen trainees in her intended role as the Navy’s first modern buqueescuela or school-ship in addition to her primary duties as a steel warship.Ī nice view of the Zaragoza with her original rig. A steam-engined barque-rigged ship, she was capable of 13-knots with her boilers lit, slightly less with her canvas aloft and a good breeze, or slightly more with a following gale. In 1890 a modern 213-foot steel hulled corvette was ordered from the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipways at Le Havre, France. This victory is still remembered by Mexicans at home and abroad in the regular Cinco de Mayo festivals in which everyone suddenly loves Corona, Dos Equis, and Modelo Negros. ![]() The Secretary of War in the cabinet of Benito Juárez, Zaragoza resigned from his desk job and led a ragtag force of some 4500-men against 6000 hardened French regulars at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Named for the famous 33-year old General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, the leader of the Mexican forces during the first part of the French Intervention in Mexico. ![]() Zaragoza, the General who brought us Cinco De Mayo
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