December 5, 1577 - Piet Pieterszoon Hein
The capture of the Spanish treasure fleet in 1628 stands as one of the most consequential acts of maritime warfare in the Eighty Years' War, depriving the Spanish crown of vast colonial wealth in a single stroke. Hein's career as both naval commander and privateer placed him at the intersection of state-sanctioned warfare and licensed plunder — a combination that made him uniquely effective at striking Spain's Atlantic supply lines.
From Wikipedia
Piet Pieterszoon Hein (25 November 1577 – 18 June 1629) was a Dutch admiral and privateer for the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War. Hein was the first and the last to capture a large part of a Spanish treasure fleet which transported huge amounts of gold and silver from Spanish America to Spain. The amount of silver taken was so large that it resulted in the rise of the price of silver worldwide and the near bankruptcy of Spain.
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