Hugo of Montcada i Gralla was the commander of the Galleasses of the Spanish Armada. He was the second son of Francesc I de Montcada, first Marquess of Aitona and Count of Osona, and his wife, Lucrècia Gralla. Belonging to the noble family of Montcada, his brother Gastó of Montcada i Gralla inherited the immense family fortune. His other brother was Joan of Montcada i Gralla, Archbishop of Tarragona and Bishop of Barcelona.
Hugo of Montcada was appointed commander of the fleet of Naples. The flagship was the San LorenzoGalleass. The Galleass-galleon La Girona was part of that fleet. The four Galleasses were:
This ship had 124 sailors, 50 artillery units, 300 sailors and 270 soldiers. It was built in Naples. It displaced 762 tones and was the largest ship and, according to some, the most splendid of the entire army.
Nautical difficulties
One of the most difficult variables that made navigating the British Channel so dangerous were were the currents caused by the tides. Local pilots had good knowledge of those currents.
Battle actions
According to various testimonials, the San Lorenzo Galleass could not progress rowing against the current caused by the tide.
The Duke of Medina Sidonia denied Hugo of Montcada permission to attack the Ark Royal ship, when she was within his reach and in conditions of superiority.
San Lorenzo was the first ship that warned of the danger of the eight ships sent by Drake against the anchored Spanish navy.
The order of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, to cut the chains of the anchors of all the ships of the army, caused chaos and many collisions between them.
Final disaster
The references to the fact are numerous and not always coincident. In the confusion brought about by the collisions, a shock rendered unusable the rudder of San Lorenzo. The maneuver with the oars was not sufficiently agile to fight under the attack of the enemies. Hugo of Montcada decided to go to refuge in the port of Calais. He did not reach the entrance by sailing and the oars, the Galleass tried to enter the port of Calais but bog down near the entrance. Being half lying sideways. The soldiers deserted the ship, jumping to the water. Many of them were drowned. Only a few faithful remained aboard. The English, sent a few bots with soldiers to seize the galeass. Finally Howard sent a reinforcement with the Ark Royal's Panescalm boat and could reduce the last resistance. Hugo of Montcada was shot down with an arquebus shot in his head, and Joan Setantí and other Catalans defenders died as well.
Important testimonial
According to the work "Armada Invencible", by Cesáreo Fernández Duro, there is a description of the final attack and the death of Hugo of Montcada according to the statements of a slave of the Marquis de Santa Cruz.
