Capture of Saint Martin (1633)

Capture of Saint Martin
Part of Eighty Years' War
Spanish capture of Saint Martin by Juan de la Corte (1597-1660), oil on canvas. Naval museum of Madrid
Date 25 June to 1 July 1633 Location Saint Martin Dutch Antilles, Caribbean Sea 18°01′44″N 63°02′41″W / 18.028967°N 63.044733°W / 18.028967; -63.044733 Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Jan Claeszoon van Campen	Lope de Hoces Marquess of Cadreita
Strength
140 [1]	24 men-of-war 31 transports 1300 men
Casualties and losses
3 ships captured 8 killed or wounded [1]	26 killed or wounded [1]

Part of the Eighty Years' War, the Capture of Saint Martin was a Spanish naval expedition against the island of Saint Martin, then occupied by the Dutch Republic. The island, claimed by Spain since Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the West Indies in 1493, lies a few hundred miles east of Puerto Rico. Its capture prevented Dutch privateers using it as a base for operations in the Caribbean.