Bombardment of Fort San Carlos
Part of Venezuelan Crisis of 1902
Date January 21, 1903 Location Fort San Carlos, Maracaibo, Venezuela Result German victory
Belligerents
Venezuela	German Empire
Strength
1 light cruiser 1 gunboat	1 fort
Casualties and losses
none	~25 killed 1 fort destroyed

The Bombardment of Fort San Carlos near Maracaibo occurred during the Venezuelan Crisis on January 21 of 1903. Warships of the Imperial German Navy attacked in response to a January 17 incident in which Venezuelan gunners, at the fort, fired on a blockading German gunboat.^[1]

Bombardment

The incident which led to the attack occurred on January 17 of 1903 when Venezuelan personel stationed in Fort San Carlos, opened fire on the gunboat SMS Panther while she attempted to sieze the lagoon. In order to blockade the city effectively the lagoon had to be occupied to prevent the Venezuelans from expoliting it by supplying Maracaibo from across the Columbian border. Panther briefly returned fire for around a half an hour but because of her armament and shallow water, the return fire was ineffective and she withdrew. Four days later the Panther returned to reduce the fort, accompanied by the light cruiser SMS Vineta, with a much larger armament. A typical bombardment ensued for hours, the Venezuelan garrison attempted to resist with their cannon but by the end of the conflict, Fort San Carlos was in ruins and burning. Shells also hit the the nearby port, whether intentional or not, the bombardment killed twenty-five civilians, prompting the siezure of German and British citizens by Venezuelan authorities.^[2][3]