Note 17 — Philippine Ships and Shipbuilding

In the former year of six hundred and sixteen, seven galleons were stationed at the city of Manila and the port of Cabite, one of which17 came built from Yndia, and was bought in Pinacan for the service of your Majesty. The other six were built in the Page 172time of Don Juan de Silva, and Don Juan Ronquillo18 took them all when he sailed in pursuit of the enemy at Playa Honda. These said galleys were in the greatest need of being repaired—one because it was very badly used up in the fight, and another because its decks had not been changed for two years; while most of them were holed along the sides by seaworms and leaked badly, and all their masts, yards, and topmasts were rotten. Consequently, Don Geronimo de Silva, captain-general of those islands, was preparing to send them to be repaired (except three) to the island of Marinduque, forty leguas from Manila, in order to avoid the expense of hauling the wood, while awaiting the arrival of the ships from Nueva España in which Don Alonso Fajardo came last year (one thousand six hundred and eighteen), in order to repair the said galleys with that money [brought by those ships]. He also intended to hold them in readiness, in order to comply with your Majesty’s orders, sent by a despatch-boat, to keep them so prepared that they might join the fleet that was about to sail with reënforcements by way of the cape of Buena Esperança, to make the journey to the Malucas Islands and drive the enemy from them.