The formerly British frigate HMS Hermione, which had been handed over to the Spanish by its crew following a vicious mutiny, lay in the heavily guarded sea port of Puerto Cabello, now under the command of Don Ramón de Chalas.

In naval terms this was called a cutting out operation—a boarding attack by small boats, preferably at night and against an unsuspecting and anchored target.

In September 1797 a number of the crew had risen up against the tyrannical[4] Pigot and had murdered him and nine other officers, throwing their bodies overboard.

[6] The mutineers claimed they had set the officers adrift in a small boat, as had happened in the mutiny on Bounty some eight years earlier.

[6] Meanwhile, news of the fate of Hermione reached Admiral Sir Hyde Parker when HMS Diligence captured a Spanish schooner.

[8] News eventually reached Parker that Santa Cecilia had been sighted in Puerto Cabello, and ordered HMS Surprise to intercept her, should she attempt to put to sea.

[9] Captain Edward Hamilton of Surprise decided that the honour of the Royal Navy depended on the recovery of the ship, and was determined to retake her.

[10] Anchoring near the port, he devised a plan to cut her out of the harbour, and asked for a boat and an extra twenty men from Parker.

[9] Santa Cecilia was heavily manned, with around 400 Spanish under the command of Captain Don Ramón de Chalas.

[3] As the fight below deck continued, Hamilton's sailors were cutting the cables holding Santa Cecilia at bay, and the sails were loosed to catch the breeze.

The boats with Santa Cecilia met up with HMS Surprise by 3:00 a.m.[12][13] The Spanish had lost 120 killed, while 231 were taken prisoner, 97 of whom were wounded.