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Urca de Lima
Urcadelima
Vital statistics
Port Cádiz
Owner King Philip V of Spain
Captain Unknown
Crew Unknown
Passengers None
Status Wrecked
Type Galleon
Weapons 80 to 100 guns
Battles None
Affiliation Spanish Navy
First appearance First mentioned: I.
First appearance: VIII.
"Friends...brothers...the prize that you and I have been pursuing is L'Urca de Lima. The Hulk. A prize of almost unimaginable value."
Flint to his crew[src]

The Urca de Lima, occasionally referred to as The Hulk, was the largest Spanish treasure galleon in the Americas, and was believed to be carrying five million dollars worth of money and cargo.

History

Background

The Urca de Lima is a ship that was constructed at some time before 1715 for the purpose of transporting the King of Spain's treasure from the Spanish Main to Spain. Being the flagship of the treasure fleet, it carried the most gold out of all the other galleons in the armada. Like most treasure galleons, it is heavily armed, but is often protected by two smaller ships.

Due to the size of the cargo she was carrying (5 million Spanish dollars worth of gold), King Philip V of Spain was very anxious to see it launched. However, no escort could be found and storm season was approaching. Vazquez, a member of the Casa de Contratación of Seville, was tasked with plotting a course for the ship known only to himself and the captain of the ship, and it was considered a state secret. The schedule includes a stop for water off the coast of Florida in Division Bay. However, Vazquez was still concerned over the risk of hurricanes and the lack of escort. He was stabbed by his employers. Before he died, he stumbled into a tavern in Port Royal and told an English merchant captain named Parrish about the Urca, and details her schedule to him. The conversation is overheard by a spy in the employ of the pirate Captain Flint[1].

Season One

After learning it is unprotected, it has been Captain Flint's ambition to take the heavily laden galleon for himself, unbeknownst to his crew. Sometime around Easter of 1715, Flint set out aboard the Walrus, along with its crew, with the intention of plundering its vast amount of treasure, all in Spanish Dollars. Flint and his crew find and capture Parrish's Ship in an effort to find the schedule, but Flint and Gates discovered that the schedule had been torn out of the captain's log.  Flint and Billy Bones go to Richard Guthrie to try and get him to use his contacts in Havana to get the schedule. However, they are interrupted when the Royal Navy arrives and attempts to arrest the three of them, forcing them to flee. Flint, who had been keeping his knowledge of the ship to himself, and is forced to reveal his knowledge during an attempted mutiny. He frames Singleton, the leader of the mutiny, for the theft and kills him in a duel, regaining control over his crew[1].

Urca grounded

The Urca lies broken on the shores of Florida.

When Flint goes ashore, he illustrates his plans to use the Urca gold to make Nassau a self sustainable "Nation of Thieves." Eleanor Guthrie is on board, but Mr. Scott is hesitant. The schedule had been found by John Silver, a crew-mate on Parrish's Ship who joined the pirates as a cook. He hid it and attempted to sell it, but was discovered by Flint, Gates and Billy Bones. Silver memorized it and then burned it, forcing the Walrus leadership to keep him on the ship, but keeping up the masquerade of him being the cook[2]

Silver gives most of the instructions for the schedule, but keeps the final piece to himself to be delivered on the final journey to prevent Flint from killing him. Silver gives the final piece of information, which leads them to Division Bay.  After following John Silver's instructions, the Walrus soon comes across the planned path of the Urca. Despite John's assurance, the ship is nowhere to be seen, and they get the attention of a Man O' War. After a fruitless battle, the Walrus is wrecked on the beach. While scouting the area, they find the wrecked Urca de Lima in another bay. The reason they were unable to find her was because she wrecked the night before in the storm.[3]

Season Two

The surviving Spanish sailors and soldiers establish a camp and recover the gold with the help of reinforcements from the Spanish Man O' War. Flint is told by his crew that they will pardon him for his crimes against the crew if he comes up with a plan to get the gold. Flint tells his crew that the gold is secured and is defended by a full complement of soldiers and reinforced 18-pounder batteries. That, combined with the Spanish Man O' War watching over every inch of the bay, prevents any approach to the beach from the land or the sea. However, the number of soldiers on the beach indicates that the watch on the ship is spare. Flint proposes they take the Man O' War, which they succeed in doing as the night watch is arriving. The Spanish soldiers on the beach try to retaliate by firing the shore batteries at the ship as the pirates sail away, but only succeed in doing minimal damage[4]

Once back in Nassau, Flint sends to scouts, Vincent and Nicholas to watch over the wreck, and to learn about the Spanish routines, schedule and watch strength. Flint plans on meeting them as soon as he can, for he believes that the wreck is four days from St. Augustine by longboat, meaning they have two weeks at most before the gold is gone[5]

Urca Wreck plagued

The Spanish camp by the wreck of the Urca after a plague devastates their numbers.

The night of the election between Flint and Benjamin Hornigold, Nicholas and Vincent return with the news that the gold is gone. However, this is a lie fabricated by Silver, who gives the location to the smaller crew (allowing a larger share for Silver and the scouts) of the Colonial Dawnled by Jack Rackham, out of fear that Flint would disregard the gold as an obstacle to his ambitions of reconciling Nassau with England. In truth, most of the Spaniards had succumbed to a tropical disease, leaving very few of them left and able to defend the gold[6]

Jack Rackham leads his crew in sailing to Florida and battling the remaining Spanish soldiers for the gold. After a bloody fight, the pirates prevail and return to Nassau with the gold[7]

Quotes

"Urca de Lima. The largest Spanish treasure galleon in the Americas. According to Vazquez, total cargo in excess of 5 million dollars."
Flint to Richard Guthrie[src]
"You're talking about a floating castle. No one has ever taken a treasure galleon like that as a prize."
Eleanor Guthrie to Flint[src]

Gallery

Trivia

  • In real-world history, the Urca never carried any gold or silver for the Spanish crown but mostly goods such as cowhides, chocolate, sassafras, incense and vanilla. The entire treasure aboard were a few chests of private silver worth 252,171 pesos. The Urca was part of a fleet of 10 ships that either ran aground or sank off the coast of Florida. After the treasure was recovered by the Spanish, the Urca's wreck was burned to the waterline to hide it from English pirates. However, the treasure was eventually stolen by pirates led by Henry Jennings.

Appearances

Season One
I. II. III. IV.
V. VI. VII. VIII.
Season Two
IX. X. XI. XII. XIII.
XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.

References

External Links

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