JUAN BAUTISTA AZZOPARDO
Juan Bautista Azzopardo was born in Isla in 1772. A promising student, he was sent on a scholarship to Toulon, France, to study Naval Architecture. He was employed first by the French and later by the British fleets, as captain of numerous vessels.
He turned to corsairing, and as a privateer, was issued a licence known as a Letter of Marque, first under the Netherlands flag and later under the Spanish. These letters of Marque, allowed Azzopardo to attack and raid ships belonging to the enemy of those that provided the permit. He was quite a successful corsair.
At the end of the 18th century, he got involved with Argentina, which at the time belonged to the Spanish. During the 1st British invasion of Buenos Aires, as part of the crew of the frigate Dromedario, he joined the troops they transported on the final assault against the British fortress. At the 2nd British invasion in 1807, his frigate transported artillery pieces on the Paraná River for the city’s defence. For his gallantry and acts of valour, he was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Urban Militias by the Royal Spanish Government. In 1808, Azzopardo retired from privateering.
In 1810, Azzopardo joined the revolutionary forces that were seeking to obtain Argentina’s independence from Spain. During this time, he was given command of the 1st Argentinian Navy which consisted of just 3 vessels. At the Battle of San Nicolás, on 2nd March 1811, against superior forces, Azzopardo lost the naval battle, got hurt and ended up a prisoner of the Royalists. After 9 years he was freed and he returned to Argentina as a Hero. He was given the title of Buenos Aires Harbour Master, a title he kept until 1826. He retired in 1827 and spent the rest of his life with his wife and son until his death in 1848.
Reference:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200216070552/http://www.islalocalcouncil.com/promseng.htm
