Horatio Nelson’s attack on Tenerife

Horatio Nelson fell wounded in the attack.
Tenerife was attacked, as the other islands, by pirates of different nationalities French, English, Dutch and Berber and several times throughout its history was embroiled in conflicts through its alliances like the wars in Spain and the attacks by the British in 1797.

On July 25, Admiral Horatio Nelson attacked Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capital of the island and the Captaincy General Headquarters. After a fierce attack, the defence organized by the General Gutierrez repelled the British and Nelson lost his right arm by a cannon ball from a gun called “Tigre” while trying to land on the edge of the coast of the “High Pass.”

On September 5, another attempted landing in the region of Puerto Santiago was repelled by the inhabitants of the Valley of Santiago del Teide, who threw stones at the British from the top of the cliffs of Los Gigantes.

Other pirates, mainly British, also attacked the island of Tenerife, with more or less luck, Robert Blake 1656, Walter Raleigh, John Hawkins, John Genings 1706 and Woodes Rogers to name a few.