In 1628, Admiral Piet Hein, with Witte de With as his flag captain, sailed out to capture the Spanish treasure fleet loaded with silver from their American colonies.

Part of the Spanish fleet in Venezuela had been warned because a Dutch cabin boy had lost his way on Blanquilla and was captured, betraying the plan, but the other half from Mexico continued its voyage, unaware of the threat.

Altogether, Hein captured 11,509,524 guilders (half a billion Euros in today's money; £1 million using sterling/guilder exchange rates in the 1620s) of booty in gold, silver, and expensive trade goods, such as indigo and cochineal, without any bloodshed.

The Dutch didn't keep their prisoners: they gave the Spanish crews ample supplies for a march to Havana.

The money funded the Dutch army for eight months, allowing it to capture the fortress 's-Hertogenbosch, and the shareholders enjoyed a cash dividend of 50% for that year.