Joaquín Zarauz

Joaquín Zarauz y de Santander (1756–1810) was a Spanish naval officer.

Early career After enlisting as a cadet-midshipman in 1775, Zarauz was promoted to successive junior officer ranks, to lieutenant of the 5th Company of the 8th Battalion of the Spanish Marine Infantry in 1778, and to frigate lieutenant in 1782. The following year he was promoted to captain of the 4th Company of the 7th Battalion based at Cádiz and, in 1784 he was promoted to navy lieutenant.

Zarauz was then given command of the San Fulgencio, on board which he participated at the defence of Ferrol in 1800. At the end on 1801 he was given command of the Ferroleña, setting sail for Lima. Anchored at Manila, he was given orders by General Álava to set sail for China to buy flour for the fleet, with 850,000 pesos in cash. Caught up in a typhoon, the ship was smashed against the rocks off the coast of Guangzhou.

The expedition left La Coruña on 14 October 1810, with Zarauz on board the flagship Santa María Magdalena, with Blas Salcedo y Salcedo as captain. Although the expedition had some initial success in capturing the important port of Gijón, in Asturias, as they were anchored in the bay of Santoña in preparation for the landing operation a sudden gale forced ships to head out to sea on 23 October, the Magdalena and the Palomo cutting their anchor cables. Of the 508 people on board the Magdalena, 500 perished in the storm, Of the eight that managed to reach shore, five later died of their injuries.