Admiral José Prudencio Padilla López (19 March 1784, in Riohacha, – 2 October 1828) was a Neogranadine military leader who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence. He is best known for his victory in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo on 24 July 1823, in which a royalist Spanish fleet was defeated. Life and career José Prudencio Padilla (Riohacha, March 19, 1784 - Bogotá, Colombia, October 2, 1828) was a hero in the battles of independence for Gran Colombia (present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama). He was the foremost naval hero of the campaign for independence led by Simón Bolívar, the creator of the first Navy and Admiral of Great Colombia. His parents were Andres Padilla, who was a builder of small boats, and Lucia Lopez. He started life as a seaman in the domestic service of merchant's vessels at both overseas ports and the Spanish homeland at 14 years old and appeared as a porter at the Royal Spanish chamber of the New Kingdom of Granada. On October 21, 1805, he received his baptism of fire at the battle of Trafalgar, where he was taken prisoner by the English. In 1808, after his release he returned to Spain, where he was appointed to the boatswain's arsenal at Cartagena de Indias. On April 11, 1811, he took part in the decision of the people of Gethsemane, who, in sympathy with the city of Cartagena, joined in the proclamation of independence of Cundinamarca, thus disregarding the authority of the metropolis. In 1814, he saw action at Tolu and captured a Royalist sloop of war with a crew of 170 that was heading to Panama. Although the ship he captured had more powerful guns than the one he commanded, it could not resist the attack and surrendered. In recognition of this, the Granadino government awarded Padilla with a promotion as the second frigate lieutenant. In 1815, he served under the command of Simón Bolívar when he went from Bogotá to Santa Marta to free Cartagena de Indias, there they were besieged by the army of General Pablo Morillo, they attempted to hold defense until it became impossible to hold the siege back. Later on he went to Jamaica, and as Captain, he met Bolívar in Haiti to reinforce the expedition which sailed from Los Cayos de San Luis on March 31, 1816, where he won the naval victory at Los Frailes