This is an 18th-century engraving depicting a nautical scene with dramatic action. The image shows two sailing ships in a state of distress near a rocky coastline, with the central ship striking a rock and billowing smoke—presumably from cannon fire—as it engages in what appears to be a naval battle. The scene is set against the backdrop of a Spanish fort, indicated by a flag, situated atop a cliff edge at Unalata.
The engraving depicts the British ship 'Success' stranded on a rock and under fire from both a Spanish fort at Umatac, Guam, and another ship in the harbor. This unfortunate situation occurred during the voyage of Captain John Clipperton, who, after separating from his privateering companion Captain Shelvocke, turned to piracy. The 'Success' sought to resupply at Guam in 1721 but ended up in a dire predicament, leading to a series of misadventures including Clipperton's eventual death shortly after his return to England.
The engraving is highly detailed, capturing the rough sea, the smoke from the cannons, and the dynamic clouds in the sky. The ships are flying the British flag, which suggests that the scene is likely from a British perspective, potentially during one of the conflicts with Spain.
Bartele Gallery. Original antique maps, sea charts, engravings and works on paper. This is a plain text rendering of a page that is otherwise built in the browser. The catalogue index is at https://www.bartele.net/catalogue and machine readable notes are at https://www.bartele.net/llms.txt.