Capture of Fort Rocher

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Spanish capture of Tortuga
Part of the Franco-Spanish War
Engraving of the Fort (17th century)
Date 9 February 1654 Location Fort de Rocher, Tortuga Island, (present-day Haiti) Result Spanish victory[1]
Belligerents
Spain New Spain	France England[1]
Commanders and leaders
Don Gabriel de Rojas y Figueroa	Timoleon Otham de Fontenay  (POW)
Strength
700 men	+500
Casualties and losses
Minimum	3 Warships captured[1] 1 Frigate captured[1] 8 minor ships captured[1] 500 man captured[1] 70 cannons taken[1]

The Capture of Fort Rocher took place on 9 February 1654, during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659). Equipped with one siege battery, a Spanish expedition of 700 troops attacked the buccaneer stronghold of Tortuga, capturing the Fort de Rocher and 500 prisoners including 330 buccaneers and goods valued at approximately 160,000 pieces-of-eight.^[2] The Spanish burned the colony to the ground and slaughtered its inhabitants, leaving behind a fort manned by 150 soldiers.^[3] They possessed the island for about eighteen months, but on the approach of the expedition under Penn and Venables were ordered by the Conde de Peñalva, Governor of Santo Domingo, to demolish the fortifications, bury the artillery and other arms, and retire to his aid in Hispaniola.^[4]