Voyage of the Glorioso

The voyage of the Glorioso involved three naval engagements fought in 1747 during the War of Jenkins' Ear between the 70-gun Spanish ship of the line Glorioso and several British squadrons which tried to capture it. Glorioso, carrying four million Spanish dollars from the Spanish Main, repelled two British attacks off the Azores and Cape Finisterre, landing her cargo at the port of Corcubión in Spain.

Several days after unloading the cargo, while sailing to Cádiz for repairs, Glorioso was attacked successively near Cape St Vincent by four British privateers and the Royal Navy ships of the line HMS Dartmouth and HMS Russell from Admiral John Byng's fleet. The 50-gun Dartmouth was repeatedly hit and blew up, killing most of her crew, but the 80-gun Russell eventually forced the Glorioso to strike her colours.

The British took Glorioso to Lisbon, where Portuguese authorities made an unsuccessful attempt to purchase her; the ship's British prize crew then took her to Portsmouth. The captain of Glorioso, Pedro Messia de la Cerda, was taken along with his men to England as prisoners of war. Despite being defeated, they were considered heroes in Spain and gained the admiration of the British. Two British captains were court-martialed for their poor performance against Glorioso, with one being dismissed from the Royal Navy.