[19] The last ship to surrender was Monarca. [19] By 6:00 pm it was getting dark, and there was a discussion aboard HMS Sandwich, Rodney's flagship, about whether to continue the pursuit. A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara. To learn more about the village’s glorious past, visit the Cape Vincent Historical Museum, set in an elegant stone building that served as a barracks for soldiers during the War of 1812. its entry into the American War of Independence, capturing one warship and three supply ships, Battle of Cape St. Vincent (disambiguation), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Cape_St._Vincent_(1780)&oldid=1000219807, Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Spain, Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The matching naval blockade was comparatively weak, however, and the British di… [34] Beatson also fails to list a number of frigates, including Apollo, which played a key role in the capture of Monarca. ThoughtCo. For other battles in the same place, see Battle of Cape St. Vincent. Seeking to maximize the firepower of his ships, Jervis intended to pass between the two Spanish formations. Bearing down on Diadem and Excellent, Captain Cayetano Valdés of Pelayo ordered Santísima Trinidad to re-hoist its colors or be treated as an enemy vessel. While Nelson returned to HMS Captain (74), Jervis made preparations to intercept the Spanish. Though he had numbers, Córdoba directed his fleet to turn north to pass alongside the British and escape towards Cadiz. Shifting his principal base to the Tagus River, the commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir John Jervis instructed Commodore Horatio Nelson to oversee the final aspects of the evacuation. See Rodney's despatch (Syrett, p. 305) describing her commissioning, and later references to her in orders at Gibraltar (e.g. Assisted by HMS Shrewsbury, she limped into Lisbon on 16 January. [13] The weather was hazy, with heavy swells and occasional squalls. 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. A naval squadron commanded by the British officer Charles Napier, on behalf of Dom Pedro IV, regent for the rightful Queen Maria II, defeated the navy of the usurper Dom Miguel. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval engagement that took place on 16 June or 6 October 1606, during Eighty Years' War and Dutch–Portuguese War. HMS Captain was Nelson's command at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Having left Cartagena on February 1, 1797, Córdoba encountered a strong easterly wind, known as a Levanter, as his ships cleared the straits. Hickman, Kennedy. )[31] Rodney's observations on the benefits of copper sheathing in the victory were influential in British Admiralty decisions to deploy the technology more widely. The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797 by Thomas Buttersworth (GL) On February 14th, Admiral Sir John Jervis, with 15 naval ships of the line was sailing 25 miles off Cape St Vincent off the coast of Portugal when he encountered 27 Spanish ships under the command of Don Jose de Cordoba sailing from Cadiz. Wars of the French Revolution: Battle of Cape St. Vincent. [26][32], None of the listed sources give an accurate accounting of the ships in Rodney's fleet at the time of the action. In late 1796, the military situation ashore in Italy led to the Royal Navy being compelled to abandon the Mediterranean. Córdova learnt of the strength of Rodney's fleet, and returned to Cadiz rather than giving chase. Sail advantage enabled the British to dodge action and from then on the Spanish navy struggled to build faster ships to avoid these situations or that of 1870 Cape St Vincent –or moon light- battle when Rodney´s 18-ship squad chased down the escaping De Lángara´s 11-ship fleet. [8] 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. [23], After also resupplying Minorca, Rodney sailed for the West Indies in February, detaching part of the fleet for service in the Channel. He distinguished himself for the remainder of the war, notably winning the 1782 Battle of the Saintes in which he captured the French Admiral Comte de Grasse. Lángara started to establish a line of battle, but when he realised the size of Rodney's fleet, he gave orders to make all sail for Cadiz. The Battle of Trafalgar raged for five hours on October 21st, 1805, and it remains one of the most decisive naval battles in history. Though severely out-gunned, Captain battled six Spanish ships, including three that mounted over 100 guns. They were right in the thick of … Lángara was released on parole, and was promoted to lieutenant general by King Carlos III. The entire convoy was captured, with the lone ship of the line, Guipuzcoana, striking her colours after a perfunctory exchange of fire. 02. A combination of the culture, history, leadership, training, strategy and tactics created the environment that allowed for Mission Command to flourish. 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. The Spanish declaration of war on Britain and Portugal in October 1796 made the British position in the Mediterranean untenable. Rallying his forces, Nelson surged aboard San José and compelled its crew to surrender. 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. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. "Wars of the French Revolution: Battle of Cape St. Six days later, Jervis was reinforced by Rear Admiral William Parker who brought five ships of the line from the Channel Fleet. Around 3:00, Excellent opened fire on San Nicolás (84) causing the Spanish ship to collide with San José (112). The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. By 4:00, the fighting effectively ended as the Spanish retreated east while Jervis ordered his ships to cover the prizes, The Battle of Cape St. Vincent resulted in the British capture of four Spanish ships of the line (San Nicolás, San José, San Ysidro, and Salvator del Mundo) including two first-rates. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-revolution-battle-of-cape-st-vincent-2360697. This bold move slowed the Spanish formation and allowed Culloden and subsequent British ships to catch up and join the fray. Broader Terms. [19] Fenix's takeover was complicated by an outbreak of smallpox aboard Bienfaisant. Captured (600 men), either grounded or retaken. They were also instructed to sail to the lee side to interfere with Spanish attempts to gain the safety of a harbour,[16] a tactic that also prevented the Spanish ships from opening their lowest gun ports. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent took place on the 14th February 1797 off the coast of Portugal. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-revolution-battle-of-cape-st-vincent-2360697 (accessed April 18, 2021). [28] He continued his distinguished career, becoming Spanish marine minister in the French Revolutionary Wars. As the fog began to lift, it became clear that the British were outnumbered nearly two-to-one. The smaller British fleet of 15 ships of the line engaged an enemy numbering 27 ships of the line and succeeded in capturing 4 ships and 3000 Spanish seamen. Captain John MacBride, rather than sending over a possibly infected prize crew, apprised Lángara of the situation and put him and his crew on parole. First Coalition, War of the, 1792-1797--Campaigns--Atlantic Ocean; Closely Matching Concepts from Other Schemes. Charging forward, Culloden entered the fight around 1:30 PM, while Captain Cuthbert Collingwood led Excellent into the battle. [27] Admiral Lángara and other Spanish officers were eventually released on parole, the admiral receiving a promotion to lieutenant general. The lifting of the morning mist found the forward ships all engaged with the enemy, and smoke prevented Jervis from seeing what was happening. Nearly out of control, the badly damaged Captain opened fire on the two fouled Spanish vessels before hooking onto San Nicolás. In the fighting, Spanish losses numbered around 250 killed and 550 wounded, while Jervis' fleet suffered 73 killed and 327 wounded. 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 and the Iberian Peninsula. His work in the Mediterranean completed, Nelson sailed aboard the frigate HMS Minerve to rejoin Jervis. 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. As a result, his fleet was blown out into the Atlantic and forced to work their way back towards Cadiz. Listed by Beatson as escaping with damage. At this point, Pelayo (74) and San Pablo (74) came to the flagship's assistance. Syrett, p. 341). Vincent." She nearly escaped, shooting away HMS Alcide's topmast, but was engaged in a running battle with the frigate HMS Apollo. [25] The British reported their casualties in the battle as 32 killed and 102 wounded. After the battle Rodney successfully resupplied Gibraltar and Minorca before continuing on to the West Indies station. As Córdoba's ships got underway, Jervis was departing the Tagus with 10 ships of the line to take up a position off Cape St. Vincent. The Spanish captains retook control of their ships, imprisoned the British crews, and sailed to Cadiz. The Battle of Cape St Vincent (14 February 1797) was one of the opening battles of The Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), as part of the French Revolutionary Wars, where a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Liberally interpreting Jervis' earlier order of "Take suitable stations for mutual support and engage the enemy as coming up in succession," Nelson told Captain Ralph Miller to pull Captain out of line and wear ship. Princessa was eventually engaged in an hour-long battle with HMS Bedford before striking her colours at about 5:30. 'Nelson's Patent Bridge for Boarding First Rates' - The Battle of Cape St Vincent continued By 2.pm, the Captain and Culloden were badly damaged. The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 RMG BHC0491.tiff 4,583 × 3,071; 40.27 MB The Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797- Nelson in the 'Captain' takes the 'San Josef' and 'San Nicolas' RMG PW0020.tiff 4,800 × 3,032; 41.64 MB On the night of February 11, Minerve encountered the Spanish fleet and successfully passed through it without being detected. The Spanish planned to retake Gibraltar by blockading and starving out its garrison, which included troops from Britain and the Electorate of Hanover. [14] Because of their copper-sheathed hulls (which reduced marine growths and drag), the ships of the Royal Navy were faster and soon gained on the Spanish. [14], Rodney was ill, and spent the entire action in his bunk. 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. While accepting its surrender, his men were fired upon by San José. 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