Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta, aliases: "Patapalo" (Pegleg), and later as "Mediohombre" (Half-man) for the many wounds suffered in his long military life (Pasajes, Guipuzcoa, 1687 - Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on September 7, 1741, Spanish admiral), was one of the greatest strategists and commanders in the history of the Spanish Navy. Guipúzcoa province Guipúzcoa (Basque Gipuzkoa, Spanish Guipúzcoa, in English sometimes as Guipuscoa) is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena Bocagrande Cartagena San Pedro Square,Old City Cartagena Cartagena, Colombia, also known as Cartagena de Indias, is a large seaport on the north coast of Colombia. ... The Spanish Navy (in Spanish, Armada Española) is the maritime arm of the Spanish Military. ...

Biography

Blas de Lezo. Picture of 1882

Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta commenced his naval career in the French navy in 1701 as a midshipman. In 1704 he fought in War of Spanish Succession as a crew member of the French set square who faced the combined forces of England and Netherlands in the battle opposite Vélez Málaga. There Lezo lost his left leg. Promoted to ensign, he was present in the battles off Peñíscola in Spain and Palermo in Sicily; participation in these and other actions resulted in his promotion to ship´s lieutenant. The defense of Catalina in Toulon cost him his left eye. He demonstrated a shrewd command in a number of convoys, deceiving the English Navy off the Catalan coast. In 1711 he served in the Navy under the orders of Andrés Pez. In 1713 he was promoted to captain. In 1714 he lost his right arm in the second siege of Barcelona. It was at this time, when directing one frigate he captured eleven British ships, including the emblematic "Stanhope". Image File history File links Blas_de_Lezo. ... Image File history File links Blas_de_Lezo. ... Events January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia. ... A midshipman is a subordinate officer, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the navies of several English-speaking countries. ... Events Building of the Students Monument in Aiud, Romania. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Castellón province Peñíscola (Peníscola in Valencian) is a Valencian municipality located on the Costa del Azahar along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain in the province of Castellón. ... Nickname: Palermu Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Location within France Coat of Arms of Toulon Toulon (Tolon in Provençal) is a city in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... // Events February 24 - The London premiere of Rinaldo by George Friderich Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... Battle of Gangut, by Maurice Baquoi, 1724-27. ... Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ... The name Stanhope can refer to many places, people, and things. ...

At the conclusion of the War of Spanish Succession he was entrusted with the command of the flagship "Lanfranco" and with it the control of the set square and generalship of the South Seas on February 16, 1723. In this assignment he destroyed and drove out English and Dutch pirates from the Pacific Ocean coasts of the Americas, and captured twelve ships. He was married in Peru in 1725. February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ...

In 1730 he returned to Spain and was promoted to chief of the Mediterranean naval set square; with this cargo he went to the Republic of Genoa to enforce the the payment of two million pesos to Spain that had been retained in the Bank of San Jorge, and the honoring of the Spanish flag, by menacing the city with a bombardment. Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births April 16 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The Republic of Genoa, in full the Most Serene Republic of Genoa (known as the Ligurian Republic from 1798 to 1805) was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from ca. ...

Frigate of Blas de Lezo towing the British ship Stanhope

In 1732, on board of the Santiago , he commanded an expedition to Oran with 54 ships and 30,000 men to recapture the city from the Ottoman Empire. Bay Hassan managed to reunite his troops and surrounded the city; Lezo returned to its aid with six ships and 5,000 men and managed to drive off the Algerian pirate, after a hard fight. Disatisfied with this he took his flagship of 60 cannons, into the corsair´s refuge of Mostagan´s bay, a bastion defended by two fortified castles and 4,000 Moors. Despising the fire from the forts he set fire to the town and inflicted heavy damage to the castles. In the following months he established a naval blockade, preventing the Algerians from receiving reinforcements from Istanbul, thereby gaining valuable time for the securing of Oran´s defences, until an epidemic forced him to return to Cadiz. Image File history File links Fragata_Lezo. ... Image File history File links Fragata_Lezo. ... Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... View of Oran Oran (population 700,000) (Arabic: , Wahran) is a city in northwest Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah... Though at least a proportion of them are better described as privateers, the Barbary pirates operated out of Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, Salè and ports in Morocco, preying on shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea from the time of the Crusades as well as on ships on their way to Asia... Pencil and charcoal Drawing of Moor The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre. ... This article is about the Spanish city. ...

In 1734 the king promoted him to General Lieutenant of the Navy. He returned to America with the ships Fuerte and Conquistador in 1737 as General Commander of Cartagena de Indias, a city that he had to defend against the English admiral Edward Vernon in the Siege of Cartagena de Indias (1741) during the War of Jenkins Ear. Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena Bocagrande Cartagena San Pedro Square,Old City Cartagena Cartagena, Colombia, also known as Cartagena de Indias, is a large seaport on the north coast of Colombia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The War of Jenkins Ear was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1742. ...

The English invasion fleet was one of largest in history, numbering 186 vessels, it included battleships and frigates, fireships and transports with a total complement of 23,600 combatants and some 2000 canons. To counter this Blas de Lezo had at his disposal 3000 regular soldiers, 600 Indian archers, in addition to the crews and troops of six frigates: the flagship Galicia and the ships San Felipe, San Carlos, Africa Dragón and Conquistador. Blas de Lezo, nevertheless counted upon the sturdy defenses of the city, his own careful preperations and in his experience of 22 battles.

The intense battle lasted a month and assured the preservation of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. The flag of New Spain, one of the Viceroyalties of the Spanish Empire. ...

Blas de Lezo was mortally wounded in the seige of Cartegena, the defense of which was his greatest victory. His burial site remains lost to history.