The Battle of the Gulf of Cádiz was a naval action which occurred on 7 August 1604, during the last days of the

Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) The Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) was an intermittent conflict between the Habsburg Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of England. It was never formally declared. The war included much English privateering against Spanish ships, and several wid ...

. The battle took place when a flotilla of two

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

s commanded by

Antonio de Oquendo Antonio de Oquendo y Zandategui (October 1577 in San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa – 7 June 1640, in A Coruña) was a Spanish admiral; in 1639 he was in command of the Spanish forces at the Battle of the Downs. Naval career Antonio was the son of ...

engaged two English privateers who were plundering shipping lanes and villages around the

Gulf of Cádiz The Gulf of Cádiz ( es, Golfo de Cádiz, pt, Golfo de Cádis) is the arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Cabo de Santa Maria, the southernmost point of mainland Portugal and Cape Trafalgar at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar. Two m ...

. One of the English ships was captured and the other damaged. Oquendo's action off

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

is notable for having been fought just 21 days before the signing of the Treaty of London, which ended the protracted war between

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Spanish squadron at Lisbon

In early 1604, 27-year-old Spanish officer Antonio de Oquendo was appointed commander of a two-galleon flotilla based at

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

by his superior, Luis Fajardo, Captain General of the Spanish Ocean Fleet. Antonio was the son of Miguel de Oquendo, a fleet commander who died in October 1588 when his ship foundered off Pasajes, while coming back from the ill-fated campaign of the

Armada Invencible The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

. The goal of Oquendo’s small unit was to fight the Dutch, English, and Moroccan privateers which threatened the shipping lanes along the western Atlantic coast of Spain and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

.Estrada y Arnáiz, Rafael (1943).
El almirante don Antonio de Oquendo
'. Espasa-Calpe, p. 32 The squadron was made of the flagship ''Delfín de Escocia'' and the slightly smaller ''Dobladilla''.Arzamendi Orbegozo, Ignacio (1981). ''El Almirante D. Antonio de Oquendo''. Sociedad Guipuzcoana de Ediciones y Publicaciones, p. 130 In July 1604, sea-traders and inhabitants from villages on the coast of Portugal and

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

reported a series of looting raids and attacks on shipping carried out by two privateers. The privateer flagship was a 500-ton vessel while the smaller warship was described as a

fusta The fusta or fuste (also called foist) was a narrow, light and fast ship with shallow draft, powered by both oars and sail—in essence a small galley. It typically had 12 to 18 two-man rowing benches on each side, a single mast with a lateen ( ...

. Oquendo’s squadron departed from Lisbon on 15 July in search of the enemy.

The engagement

The Spanish flotilla searched the waters around

Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...

, Cape Santa María, and Cádiz for more than 20 days, without results.March y Labores, José (1854). ''Historia de la Marina Real Española: Desde el descubrimiento de las Américas hasta el combate de Trafalgar''. P. 594 On 7 August at dawn, however, they found the two ships in the Gulf of Cádiz, between them and the shore, identifying them as English. The larger privateer vessel suddenly approached and eventually grappled Oquendo’s flagship, and about 100 men boarded ''Delfín de Escocia''. After two hours of fighting, Oquendo managed to beat back the attackers, with many dead and wounded on both sides. The clash was fought almost entirely with blade weapons. Spanish reports claim that Oquendo’s men threw some of the English intruders overboard. The privateer tried to disengage and flee, but Oquendo led his crew to the assault, boarding the enemy ship and forcing the English commander to surrender. The other vessel, which had been badly battered by ''Dobladilla''’s guns, fled at full sail and could not be stopped.Marley, David (2008). ''Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present, Volume 1''. ABC-CLIO
p. 184
The Spanish flagship was heavily damaged in the action, arriving at Cascais along with ''Dobladilla'' and their prey for repairs.

Aftermath

While the galleons and the captured ship remained at Cascais, Fajardo's rivals let out the rumor that the squadron had suffered a disaster. All the doubts were swept away when Oquendo arrived in Lisbon, where he was given a triumphal reception. Captain General Luis Fajardo and King Philip III sent letters of congratulation to him, marking the beginning of a notable naval career. Oquendo himself issued a list of prisoners and handed over the English commander to the authorities. He was also awarded the captured privateer as a

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

. The sea lanes between Lisbon and Cádiz were cleared of hostile warships for a long time.Arzamendi Orbegozo, pp. 130-131

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf of Cadiz, Battle of the (1604) 1604 in Europe 1604 in Portugal 1604 in the British Empire 1604 in the Spanish Empire Conflicts in 1604 History of Cádiz Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)