Velázquez was determined to remove Cortes by force if necessary. In early 1520, he organized an armada of about 1000 fighting men and 18 ships equipped with both light and heavy artillery. Panfilo de Narvaez was selected to lead the force with instructions to arrest Cortes and assume government of the new territory on behalf of Velázquez. Instead, Narvaez was easily defeated and Cortes persuaded most of the force to switch sides and join his invasion of the Aztec empire. The failed adventure was a disaster for Velázquez; he lost a substantial fortune invested in the fleet and left Cuba seriously depopulated and vulnerable to a Native uprising.