10 euro – 175th Anniversary of Juan Bautista Azopardo's Death

Juan Bautista Azopardo was born in Senglea on 19 February 1772. At a young age he travelled to France and served an apprenticeship at the Toulon naval arsenal. It appears that between 1793 and 1803, he was involved with French and even British naval squadrons. Later served on corsair ships which operated in the Atlantic. He distinguished himself in combat against the British when they invaded Buenos Aires in 1806 and again in 1807 when he was appointed a Lt Colonel of the militia raised to face the emergency caused by the British invasion. An insurgency in Buenos Aires in May 1810 resulted in the removal of the Spanish Viceroy and the appointment of a local junta. Azopardo, supported the junta and was given command of three small ships, which many regard as the beginning of the modern Argentinian Navy. In March 1811, during the Battle of San Nicolás, Azopardo's ships were overwhelmed by superior forces and he was taken prisoner. After a summary trial, Azopardo was condemned as a political dissident and was only freed in 1820. He died on 23 October 1848. To perpetuate his name and his association with its founding, the Argentinian Navy named several ships after Azopardo.