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The Battle of Cape St. Vincent () was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast of
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
on 16 January 1780 during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. In 1779 Spain had joined its ally France, which was allied with the Americans, in war against Britain. A
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
squadron under Don
Juan de Lángara Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte (1736 – 1806) was a Spanish Navy officer and politician. Life and career Early life He was born at A Coruña, Galicia, the son of a renowned Basque family. His father was admiral Juan de Langara Ari ...
. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Moonlight Battle () because it was unusual for naval battles in the
Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...
to take place at night. It was also the first major naval victory for the British over their European enemies in the war and proved the value of copper-sheathing the hulls of warships. Rodney was escorting a fleet of supply ships to relieve the Spanish siege of Gibraltar with a fleet of about twenty
ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...
when he encountered Lángara's squadron south of Cape St. Vincent. When Lángara saw the size of the British fleet, he attempted to make for the safety of
Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
, but the copper-sheathed British ships chased his fleet down. In a running battle that lasted from mid-afternoon until after midnight, the British captured four Spanish ships, including Lángara's flagship ''Fénix''. Two other ships were also captured, but they were retaken by their Spanish crews, although Rodney's report claimed the ships were grounded and destroyed; in fact one went aground and was destroyed, while the other safely returned to Cadiz and resumed service with the Spanish Navy. After the battle Rodney successfully resupplied
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
and
Minorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the is ...
before continuing on to the
British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...
. Lángara was released on parole; his career did not suffer from the defeat, and he was promoted to
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
by
Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...
.


Background

One of
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
's principal goals upon its entry into the American War of Independence in 1779 was the recovery of
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, which had been lost to Great Britain in 1704. The Spanish planned to retake Gibraltar by blockading and starving out its garrison, which included troops from Britain and the
Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...
. The siege formally began in June 1779, with the Spanish establishing a land blockade around the
Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq , meaning "Mountain of Tariq ibn Ziyad, Tariq") is a monolithic limestone mountain high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated near the end of a nar ...
. The matching naval blockade was comparatively weak, however, and the British discovered that small fast ships could evade the blockaders, while slower and larger supply ships generally could not. By late 1779, however, supplies in Gibraltar had become seriously depleted, and its commander, General George Eliott, appealed to London for relief. A supply convoy was organized, and in late December 1779 a large fleet sailed from England under the command of Admiral Sir George Rodney. Although Rodney's ultimate orders were to command the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
fleet, he had secret instructions to first resupply Gibraltar and
Minorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the is ...
. On 4 January 1780 the fleet divided, with ships headed for the West Indies sailing westward. This left Rodney in command of 19
ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...
, which were to accompany the supply ships to Gibraltar. On 8 January 1780 ships from Rodney's fleet spotted a group of sails. Giving chase with their faster copper-clad ships, the British determined these to be a Spanish supply convoy that was protected by a single ship of the line and several frigates. The entire convoy was captured, with the lone ship of the line, ''Guipuzcoana'', striking her colours after a perfunctory exchange of fire. ''Guipuzcoana'' was staffed with a small prize crew and renamed , in honour of
Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...
, the third son of the King, who was serving as
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
in the fleet. Rodney then detached and the frigate to escort most of the captured ships back to England; ''Prince William'' was added to his fleet, as were some of the supply ships that carried items likely to be of use to the Gibraltar garrison. On 12 January , which had lost part of her topmast on 3 January, suffered additional damage and raised a distress flag. Assisted by , she limped into
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
on 16 January.Syrett, p. 311 The Spanish had learnt of the British relief effort. From the blockading squadron a fleet comprising 11 ships of the line under Admiral
Juan de Lángara Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte (1736 – 1806) was a Spanish Navy officer and politician. Life and career Early life He was born at A Coruña, Galicia, the son of a renowned Basque family. His father was admiral Juan de Langara Ari ...
was dispatched to intercept Rodney's convoy, and the Atlantic fleet of Admiral
Luis de Córdova y Córdova Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova (8 February 1706 – 29 July 1796) was a Spanish Navy officer. He is best known for his service in the Navy during the Anglo-Spanish War. His best remembered actions were the capture of two merchant convo ...
at Cadiz was also alerted to try to catch him. Córdova learnt of the strength of Rodney's fleet, and returned to Cadiz rather than giving chase. On 16 January the fleets of Lángara and Rodney spotted each other around 1:00 pm south of Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern point of
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
and the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
. The weather was hazy, with heavy swells and occasional squalls.


Battle

Rodney was ill, and spent the entire action in his bunk. His
flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a " captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "Firs ...
, Walter Young, urged Rodney to give orders to engage when the Spanish fleet was first spotted, but Rodney only gave orders to form a line abreast. Lángara started to establish a
line of battle The line of battle or the battle line is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships (known as ships of the line) forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for date ...
, but when he realised the size of Rodney's fleet, he gave orders to make all sail for Cadiz. Around 2:00 pm, when Rodney felt certain that the ships seen were not the vanguard of a larger fleet, he issued commands for a general chase. Rodney's instructions to his fleet were to chase at their best speed, and engage the Spanish ships from the rear as they came upon them. They were also instructed to sail to the
lee side In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point o ...
to interfere with Spanish attempts to gain the safety of a harbour,Mahan, p. 449 a tactic that also prevented the Spanish ships from opening their lowest gun ports.Syrett, p. 239 Because of their copper-sheathed hulls (which reduced marine growths and drag), the ships of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
were faster and soon gained on the Spanish. The chase lasted for about two hours, and the battle finally began around 4:00 pm. ''Santo Domingo'', trailing in the Spanish fleet, received broadsides from , , and before blowing up around 4:40, with the loss of all but one of her crew. ''Marlborough'' and ''Ajax'' then passed ''Princessa'' to engage other Spanish ships. ''Princessa'' was eventually engaged in an hour-long battle with before striking her colours at about 5:30.Syrett, p. 240 By 6:00 pm it was getting dark, and there was a discussion aboard , Rodney's flagship, about whether to continue the pursuit. Although Captain Young is credited in some accounts with pushing Rodney to do so,
Gilbert Blane Sir Gilbert Blane of Blanefield, 1st Baronet FRSE FRS MRCP (29 August 174926 June 1834) was a Scottish physician who instituted health reform in the Royal Navy. He saw action against both the French and Spanish fleets, and later served as a Co ...
, the fleet physician, reported it as a decision of the council. The chase continued into the dark, squally night, leading to it later being known as the "Moonlight Battle", since it was uncommon at the time for naval battles to continue after sunset. At 7:30 pm, came upon Lángara's flagship , engaging her in a battle lasting over an hour. She was broadsided in passing by and , and Lángara was wounded in the battle. His ship, ''Fénix'', finally surrendered to , which arrived late in the battle and shot away her mainmast. ''Fénix''s takeover was complicated by an outbreak of
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
aboard ''Bienfaisant''. Captain
John MacBride John MacBride (sometimes written John McBride; ; 7 May 1868 – 5 May 1916) was an Irish republican and military leader. He was executed by the British government for his participation in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. Early life Jo ...
, rather than sending over a possibly infected prize crew, apprised Lángara of the situation and put him and his crew on parole. At 9:15 ''Montagu'' engaged ''Diligente'', which struck after her maintopmast was shot away. Around 11:00 pm ''San Eugenio'' surrendered after having all of her masts shot away by , but the difficult seas made it impossible to board a prize crew until morning. That duel was passed by and ''Prince George'', which engaged ''San Julián'' and compelled her to surrender around 1:00 am. The last ship to surrender was ''Monarca''. She nearly escaped, shooting away 's topmast, but was engaged in a running battle with the frigate HMS ''Apollo''. ''Apollo'' managed to keep up the unequal engagement until about the time that Rodney's flagship ''Sandwich'' came upon the scene around 2:00 am. ''Sandwich'' fired a broadside, unaware that ''Monarca'' had already hauled down her flag.Syrett, p. 241 The British took six ships. Four Spanish ships of the line and the fleet's two frigates escaped, although sources are unclear if two of the Spanish ships were even present with the fleet at the time of the battle. Lángara's report states that ''San Justo'' and ''San Genaro'' were not in his line of battle (although they are listed in Spanish records as part of his fleet). According to one account two of Lángara's ships (the two aforementioned) were despatched to investigate other unidentified sails sometime before the action. Rodney's report states that ''San Justo'' escaped but was damaged in battle, and that ''San Genaro'' escaped without damage. File:The Moonlight Battle- the Battle off Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780 RMG BHC0430.jpg, '' The Moonlight Battle'' by
Dominic Serres Dominic Serres ( 4 November 1793) was a French-born British painter who specialised in marine art. He co-founded the Royal Academy (RA) in 1768, and served as the RA's librarian from 1792 until his death. Life and works He was born in Auch ...
, 1781 File:CombateDeSantaMaríaEntreLaEscuadraDelAlmiranteRodneyYElGeneralLángara1780.jpg, ''La Battalla de Cabo de San Vincente'', painted by an unknown Spanish artist. File:The Moonlight Battle off Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780 RMG BHC0429.tiff, ''The Moonlight Battle off Cape St. Vincent, 16 January 1780'', by Richard Paton.


Aftermath

With the arrival of daylight, it was clear that the British fleet and their prize ships were dangerously close to a
lee shore A lee shore, sometimes also called a leeward ( shore, or more commonly ), is a nautical term to describe a stretch of shoreline that is to the Windward and leeward, lee side of a vessel—meaning the wind is blowing towards land. Its opposite, th ...
with an onshore breeze.Syrett, p. 241 One of the prizes, ''San Julián'', was recorded by Rodney as too badly damaged to save, and was driven ashore. Another prize, ''San Eugenio'', was retaken by her crew and managed to reach Cadiz;Beatson, p. 233 she was later restored to service within two months, and remained so until taken to pieces at Cadiz in 1804. A Spanish history claims that the prize crews of both ships appealed to their Spanish captives for help escaping the lee shore. The Spanish captains retook control of their ships, imprisoned the British crews, and sailed to Cadiz. The British reported their casualties in the battle as 32 killed and 102 wounded. The supply convoy sailed into Gibraltar on 19 January, driving the smaller blockading fleet to retreat to the safety of
Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
. Rodney arrived several days later, after first stopping in
Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...
. The wounded Spanish prisoners, who included Lángara, were offloaded there, and the British garrison was heartened by the arrival of the supplies and the presence of Prince William Henry. After also resupplying Minorca, Rodney sailed for the West Indies in February, detaching part of the fleet for service in the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
. This homebound fleet intercepted a French fleet destined for the
East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...
, capturing one warship and three supply ships. Gibraltar was resupplied twice more before the siege was lifted at the end of the war in 1783. Lángara and other captured Spanish officers were eventually released on parole, with
Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...
promoting Lángara to
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
. He continued to serve in the Spanish navy, being appointed as the naval minister during the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
. Rodney was lauded for his victory, the first major victory of the war by the Royal Navy over its European opponents. He distinguished himself for the remainder of the war, notably winning the 1782
Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...
in which he captured French Admiral
François Joseph Paul de Grasse François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly, KM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a French Navy officer. He is best known for his crucial victory over the Royal Navy at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 during t ...
. He was, however, criticised by Captain Young, who portrayed him as weak and indecisive in the battle with Lángara. (He was also rebuked by the admiralty for leaving a ship of the line at Gibraltar, against his express orders.) Rodney's observations on the benefits of copper sheathing in the victory were influential in British Admiralty decisions to deploy the technology more widely.Mahan, p. 451Syrett, p. 244


Order of battle

None of the listed sources give an accurate accounting of the ships in Rodney's fleet at the time of the action.
Robert Beatson Robert Beatson, LL.D. FRSE FSA (1741–1818) was a Scottish compiler and miscellaneous writer. Life He was born on 25 June 1741 at Dysart in Fife, Scotland, the son of David Beatson of Vicarsgrange. He was educated for the military profession, ...
lists the composition of the fleet at its departure from England, and notes which ships separated to go to the West Indies, as well as those detached to return the prizes captured on 8 January to England. He does not list two ships (''Dublin'' and ''Shrewsbury'', identified in despatches reprinted by Syrett) that were separated from the fleet on 13 January. Furthermore, HMS ''Prince William'' is sometimes misunderstood to have been part of the prize escort back to England, but she was present at Gibraltar after the action. Beatson also fails to list a number of frigates, including ''Apollo'', which played a key role in the capture of ''Monarca''. There are some discrepancies between British and Spanish sources regarding Lángara's fleet, principally in the number of guns most of the vessels are claimed to mount. The table below lists the Spanish records describing Lángara's fleet. However, Beatson lists all of the Spanish ships of the line at 70 guns, except ''Fénix'', which he correctly lists at 80 guns), and ''San Julián'', which he incorrectly gives as 64 guns. Spanish archives confirm this except for ''San Julián''. ''San Julián'' was built as a 70-gun ship of the ''San Isidro''-class ship of the line (as built at Ferrol in 1768) and was so listed in Spanish archives. One frigate, ''Santa Rosalia'', is listed by Beatson at 28 guns, although she was actually 26 guns. The identify of the second Spanish frigate is different in the two listings. Beatson records her as ''Santa Gertrudis'', 26 guns, with captain Don Annibal Cassoni, while Duro's listing describes her as ''Santa Cecilia'', 34, captain Don Domingo Pérez de Grandallana; Spanish archives confirm the latter. Both frigates did not participate in the battle, and returned to Cadiz.Duro, p. 263


References


Sources

* * * Reprints Lángara's report. * * * * * Reprints numerous British documents concerning Rodney's entire expedition. * *


Further reading

* * Sapherson, C. A. and Lenton, J. R. (1986) ''Navy Lists from the Age of Sail; Vol. 2: 1776–1783''. Leeds: Raider Games * Spinney, David (1969) ''Rodney''. London: Allen & Unwin * Trew, Peter. ''Rodney and The Breaking of the Line'' Leo Cooper Ltd (2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Saint Vincent, Battle of 1780 1780 in Portugal Conflicts in 1780 Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Spain Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783)