Santa Luzia was a 30-gun and 360-tonne Portuguese galleon, known for defeating a Dutch squadron single-handedly twice in 1650.[1][2][3][4]
Santa Luzia was probably built for the General Company of Brazil.[2]
On 21 February 1650, off Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Santa Luzia, under the command of Bernardo Ramires Esquível, was attacked by a squadron of nine Dutch ships, under the command of Caspar Govertsz Cop.[1][3][4] Santa Luzia defended himself with a violent artillery duel, that lasted until the night.[1][3][4] After the combat, Santa Luzia anchored near the coast, in order to take care of the wounded and repair the damage suffered.[1][3][4]
On 22 February, in the morning, the combat returned. Maneuvering ably, Esquível did not cease fire on the Dutch ships that dared to approach the Santa Luzia, causing a lot of damage and casualties.[1][3][4] Possibly because they did not have enough soldiers, the Dutch ships did not attempt to board the Santa Luzia.[3] By the mid-afternoon, having come to the conclusion that the Santa Luzia was impossible to defeat, Cop put an end to the fight by retreating to the north.[1][3][4]
Santa Luzia's fate after this is unknown.[2]