Jan Janszoon van Hoorn's expedition of 1633

Hoorn set sail from Pernambuco two hours after sunrise on 26 April 1633, anchoring at off Bridgetown on 20 May. The company watered here for seven days before setting off due west. On 18 June, they sighted the eastern tip of Puerto Rico. On 5 July, they dropped anchor off Little Cayman. Two days later, the fleet were joined by the Nachtegael and the Gijsselingh, which had been cruising for prizes off Cape Cruz (Cuba) since 29 June. The yachts brought the expedition's first prize, a small merchantman laden with 1,037 hides, three small chests of sugar, and 144 jars of honey. They set off for the Bay of Honduras sometime during 7‍–‍10 July.[3][4][5][note 2]

Trvgillo / engraving for 1644 Historie by Johannes van Laet / via J. C. Brown Lib.

The fleet sighted the Honduras mainland on 11 July. They spent the next 3 days charting the coastal waters, taking care to remain hidden from sentinels at the Santa Barbara Fortress. On 15 July, two hours past midday, the fleet's ships finally entered Trujillo's harbour. The Fortress immediately engaged the ships, resulting in the campaign's first casualties – four deaths in the Zutphen. In the meantime, the fleet's yachts and sloops made their way west of the city, disembarking the soldiers at the mouth of the Santo Antonio Creek. This column now marched east, and in short order reached the Fortress, which they took after outgunning its men. The Fortress fallen, the city was theirs within two hours. The men rested in Trujillo that night, spending the next morning ransacking the city's residences.[6][7]

Thus this stronghold was conquered with little resistance and little loss, for the [Hoorn's] men had, both on land and in ships, only seven deaths; the assault proceeded so rapidly that by four o'clock they were in full possession of the city. [...][note 3]

The next day [16 July] they did their best, at dawn, to gather the estates [ransack the city]; they took the goods to a guard corps inside the fort, close to the beach. But at about nine o'clock, when most of the booty had already been assembled, a fire suddenly broke out in the easternmost house in the city (without it being possible to know by whom it had been kindled, in spite of rigorous inquiries being made), and took such an increase, that in a short time two-thirds of the city was reduced to ashes. Each one had enough to do in saving his life, the houses burning so violently, which were all covered with palm fronds, with wooden beams and plastered with lime, that it was impossible to take care of the spoils; the powder house caught fire, and some died there as a result of burns.

The next day [17 July], they brought what was left to the ships, namely: 239 dry hides, 6 and a half bales of indigo, 820 pounds of sarsaparilla, 7 bronze cannons, 3 bronze masons, 3 iron cannons, 4 bells and some offal. Two days after that [19 July], they agreed with the governor of Truchillo [Juan de Miranda] about a ransom of twenty pounds of silver for the rest of the city, as he declared that it had not been his own people who had caused the fire. They were informed by the same [governor] that [the Spanish] had not known of their arrival until [July] the 14th, when they were sighted from Cape, [ie] belatedly.[note 4]

— J. de Laet, in Historie, 1644.[8]

Trujillo's ransom paid, Hoorn and company departed on 21 July.[9][10]

S. Francisco de Campeche / engraving for 1644 Historie by Johannes van Laet / via J. C. Brown Lib.

Hoorn's fleet had a hard time circumnavigating the Yucatan Peninsula, their nautical charts proving inaccurate. They sighted Cozumel on 25 July, and Cape Catoche on 1 August, where they watered. Here, they surprised an unladen frigate, from whose crew they learnt of a naval squadron cruising for them, with instructions to transport them to S. Martinho (Spain?). They nonetheless proceeded, finally sighting Campeachy on the afternoon of 11 August. The ships anchored some four or five leagues east-northeast of the city.[9][note 5]

The soldiers immediately passed over to the yachts and sloops, and sailed towards the coast at night, leaving in the large ships about 80 men, both sick and well; they took over 400 men, including soldiers and sailors, to disembark, with the large boats having another 12 men and the small ones the number necessary to provide service where needed. [...]

The next day [12 August], they followed the coast towards the city, and anchored, in the afternoon, at 15 feet of depth, more or less a league and a half distant. At midnight they divided the people into two forces, and [now in] boats [they] rowed towards the city.

On [August] the 13th, in the morning, one hour after sunrise, they disembarked half a league southwest of the city, in a green valley, on a flat sandy beach. Having placed themselves in order, they immediately marched forwards; the two large boats, each with a cannon, rowed close to the troops, along the beach, and fired whenever necessary, causing great damage to the enemy. The sloops Nachtegael and Gijsselingh also sailed along the coast and likewise fired. Before our people were all disembarked, the enemy came with two companies, infantry and cavalry, to repel ours, but they were forced to flee in haste; whereupon our men advanced until they reached a trench, from which they quickly expelled [the enemy], and soon after [they again reached] another [manned trench, from which] the enemy withdrew to their third redoubt, where they had three cannons, and [upon Hoorn's reaching this redoubt] they released a strong volley on our men with the said pieces [cannons] and muskets; but our men, attacking them valiantly, took the redoubt at a great loss for the enemy, and threw their cannons out of the bulwark. Our men then marched to the market [plaza], where the enemy was better fortified, because six streets lead to it, and they set up a bulwark five feet high and with arrow-slits; in the plaza were mounted 2 pieces of bronze and 10 of iron. The enemy intended to resist there; but our people attacked it with such valor that [the enemy] were only able to discharge their cannons once; [the enemy] kept on, however, resisting, until they were repelled with lances and swords, and a great part [of the enemy] died, and some of our own, however, the greater part of the loss suffered by our men [was due to their] being wounded. Some of the Spaniards fled to some houses, which had balconies, as well as to a church that was in the middle of the plaza, and they gave our people much to do to get them off of there. Our men took 20 prisoners, one of whom they sent to the governor, don Juan de Barros, who had fled the city to the convent of San Francisco, located outside the city, to find out if he wanted to rescue the city so that it would not be burned down; but he replied---that it was not up to him, and that our men could do what they thought best. Our men found 22 ships, barges and frigates in front of the city, most of them empty and some loaded with leather and cacao; the loot discovered was gathered in the church.[note 6]

The next day [14 August], an emissary was sent again to the governor, but he did not return; our men quickly brought hides and lumber to the captured boats, in order to load them on board, [and similarly] the next day [15 August] they loaded some chests of wax and 11 pieces [of artillery] or culverins.

On [August] the 16th, they again sent Secretary Jacob Davits to the governor, to negotiate a ransom for the city and the release of the prisoners. The governor received him very politely, but replied, by letter, that they could do as they wished with the city; that he would pay not [even] a real, neither for the city nor for the prisoners. As the prisoners said, there was a royal ban, on pain of death, from rescuing cities, people or ships. Our men, deeming their troops too weak for such a [hostile] place, and realising that many [enemy] men could easily come from the surrounding villages, knowing also how badly manned the large ships were, did not think it prudent to stay longer there, and, taking with them what was of some value, they began preparing the ships [for sail]; the next day [17 August] they took the prisoners and nine of the enemy ships with them and burned the rest; they did no harm to the city, nor was it easy for them to do so, for it consisted of sturdy stone structures.[...]

On [August] the 18th, they arrived where the big ships were, and they re-embarked, each one in his assigned vessel, and the captured goods were also transferred. Here; there came some Spaniards, to buy [back] the ships our men had seized, after their cargo had been unloaded, and the Spaniards were left with four and then one more [ie five ships], and the prisoners were released in the other four [remaining ships], the ransom for which was paid last.[note 7]

— J. de Laet, in Historie, 1644.[11]

Hoorn's fleet finally set off on the morning of 24 August.[12]

On 18 September, the fleet came eight or nine leagues due south of Pan de Matanzas (Cuba). At this point, some of the company wished to cruise for prizes. Consequently, the Otter and the sloops stayed behind, with the rest of the fleet proceeding to open ocean via the Old Bahama Channel. The latter arrived in Texel on 11 November.[13][14][note 8]