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Pirate Legend
Most of you are familiar with the name Corregidor, it was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting during WWII. Corregidor is an island located just off the island of Luzon, Philippines. It sits in the mouth of Manilla Bay. After the fall of Bataan, it was the last stand for the Philippine and American forces in 1942 as Japan captured the island on May 6'th to complete it's takeover of the Philippines and secure a powerful base of operations in the Pacific theatre. The US had an Army base in Fort Mills on the island, and it is also covered with rocky outcrops and tunnels that made it tough for the Japanese forces. After constant bombardment from Japanese artillery on Bataan, Cavite and naval bombardment, the combined American and Phillipino forces had no choice but to surrender. Those same tunnels and rocky outcrops would make also make it hell on the Americans when they returned to recapture the Phillipines in February, 1945.
Corregidor's history though goes back much farther. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 marked the beginning of Spanish colonization of the the Philippines. In 1570, the Spanish established a base on the island as a launching point to converting the local population to Christianity. The name Corregidor is from the Spanish word meaning "to correct", at one time it was used as a prison. In 1573, Chinese pirate Limahong gathered an army of warriors, renegades and pirates and fled China to establish a base on Luzon to get away from the reach of the Chinese government, and more easily harass the Spanish trade routes. Needless to say, the Spanish weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of a powerful pirate trying to settle on a piece of their newly claimed territory.
After fighting the Spanish and being driven off in his first attempt to settle in northern Luzon, Limahong captured a couple of Spanish merchant ships and learned of the newly founded Spanish settlement of Manila. They also learned that the settlement was unprotected and thought this would be a great place to establish a pirate kingdom! Limahong anchored his fleet of 95 ships just off Corregidor, and launched two assaults on Manila. But it turned out not to be the cakewalk that Limahong thought it would be, he met with fierce resistance from both the local population, and the Spanish. After fierce fighting, he was forced to give up the attempt and sailed away to attempt to establish his pirate kingdom elsewhere.
Later, in 1600 Dutchman Olivier van Noort used Corregidor and it's surrounding area as a place to launch pirate attacks on Spanish shipping. The Dutchman was finally driven out of the area after the battle of Fortune Island on December 14, 1600. The victory was costly for the Spanish, as they lost the galleon San Deigo, which had been hastily converted to a warship. She sunk before she could even fire her guns though, as she was fully loaded and couldn't handle the weight of the extra guns. She rode to low in the water and listed to one side, putting her lower cannon ports under water. The wreck was discovered in 1992, her cargo still intact. While not exactly a dominating victory, it force van Noort from the Philippines and out of Spanish territory.
In 1647, the Dutch took over Corregidor, using it as a base to launch attacks on Cavite. The Spanish repelled the attacks, but the Dutch would remain on the island, hoping to use it as a base to harass Chinese merchant shipping in the area. Finally, with very little success in the area, the Dutch gave up and left the island, and the Philippines.
During the Seven Years War, the British used Corregidor as a base to launch their successful invasion of Cavite and occupation of Manila in 1762. During which, the 60 gun lineship HMS Panther and the 28 gun frigate HMS Argo captured the treasure laden Spanish galleon Santísima Trinidad! The British occupation was ended as part of the peace settlement to endthe war.
Corregidor's history though goes back much farther. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 marked the beginning of Spanish colonization of the the Philippines. In 1570, the Spanish established a base on the island as a launching point to converting the local population to Christianity. The name Corregidor is from the Spanish word meaning "to correct", at one time it was used as a prison. In 1573, Chinese pirate Limahong gathered an army of warriors, renegades and pirates and fled China to establish a base on Luzon to get away from the reach of the Chinese government, and more easily harass the Spanish trade routes. Needless to say, the Spanish weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of a powerful pirate trying to settle on a piece of their newly claimed territory.
After fighting the Spanish and being driven off in his first attempt to settle in northern Luzon, Limahong captured a couple of Spanish merchant ships and learned of the newly founded Spanish settlement of Manila. They also learned that the settlement was unprotected and thought this would be a great place to establish a pirate kingdom! Limahong anchored his fleet of 95 ships just off Corregidor, and launched two assaults on Manila. But it turned out not to be the cakewalk that Limahong thought it would be, he met with fierce resistance from both the local population, and the Spanish. After fierce fighting, he was forced to give up the attempt and sailed away to attempt to establish his pirate kingdom elsewhere.
Later, in 1600 Dutchman Olivier van Noort used Corregidor and it's surrounding area as a place to launch pirate attacks on Spanish shipping. The Dutchman was finally driven out of the area after the battle of Fortune Island on December 14, 1600. The victory was costly for the Spanish, as they lost the galleon San Deigo, which had been hastily converted to a warship. She sunk before she could even fire her guns though, as she was fully loaded and couldn't handle the weight of the extra guns. She rode to low in the water and listed to one side, putting her lower cannon ports under water. The wreck was discovered in 1992, her cargo still intact. While not exactly a dominating victory, it force van Noort from the Philippines and out of Spanish territory.
In 1647, the Dutch took over Corregidor, using it as a base to launch attacks on Cavite. The Spanish repelled the attacks, but the Dutch would remain on the island, hoping to use it as a base to harass Chinese merchant shipping in the area. Finally, with very little success in the area, the Dutch gave up and left the island, and the Philippines.
During the Seven Years War, the British used Corregidor as a base to launch their successful invasion of Cavite and occupation of Manila in 1762. During which, the 60 gun lineship HMS Panther and the 28 gun frigate HMS Argo captured the treasure laden Spanish galleon Santísima Trinidad! The British occupation was ended as part of the peace settlement to endthe war.
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