 He is often recognized as one of the greatest strategists in naval history.Born in Pasajes (by then still part of San Sebastián), in the Basque Province of Guipúzcoa in Spain, Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta attended school in France and commenced his naval career in the Franco-Spanish navy in 1701 as a midshipman.In 1704 he fought in the War of the Spanish Succession as a crew member in the Franco-Spanish fleet against the combined forces of Great Britain and the Netherlands at the indecisive Battle of Vélez-Málaga.