Apostol Felipe

Type

Galleon

Period

17th Century

Nation

Spain

Overview: The Apóstol Felipe was one of six galleons built by the shipwright Martín de Arana for King Felipe IV of Spain, belonging to the group known as the "Galeones de la Plata" (Silver Galleons). These heavily built merchant-warships were the mainstay of the Carrera de Indias, escorting and carrying silver, gold, and other treasure between Spain and its American colonies. Service History: The ship made her first voyage with the treasure fleet in 1629, carrying treasure back to Spain, and served as flagship (Almiranta) of the Armada de la Guardia (the Indies Guard fleet) until 1633. She later took part in the Spanish campaign in Brazil to recapture Pernambuco from the Dutch, and subsequently carried troops and money to the Spanish Netherlands (Flanders), taking part in the 1639 Battle of the Downs against the Dutch fleet under Maarten Tromp. Notable Facts: The Battle of the Downs was a major disaster for the Spanish Armada — dozens of ships were lost, wrecked on English and French/Flemish coasts, or captured, though contemporary sources disagree sharply on exact numbers. No specific record was found confirming whether the Apóstol Felipe herself was sunk, captured, or survived the battle, so her post-1639 fate should be treated as undocumented rather than assumed. Modeling Notes: The ship is best known today to modelers through the OcCre wooden ship model kit (ref. 14000), built at 1:60 scale with a finished length around 785 mm and height around 695 mm, which reproduces the vessel as a three-masted, richly decorated 17th-century Spanish silver galleon.