Battle of Cape St. Vincent
Part of theAmerican Revolutionary War
The moonlight Battle off Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780 Francis Holman, 1780
Date 16 January 1780 Location OffCape St. Vincent,Atlantic Ocean 36°49′5″N8°33′49″W / 36.81806°N 8.56361°W /36.81806; -8.56361 Result British victory[1]
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Sir George Rodney	Juan de Lángara (POW)
Strength
18 ships of the line 3 frigates 3 post ships[2]	11 ships of the line 2 frigates[3]
Casualties and losses
32 killed 102 wounded[4]	2,500 killed, wounded or captured 4 ships of the line captured 1 ship of the line destroyed 1 ship of the line wrecked[3][4][5]

TheBattle of Cape St. Vincent (Spanish:Batalla del Cabo de San Vicente) was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast ofPortugal on 16 January 1780 during theAmerican Revolutionary War. In 1779 Spain had joined its ally France, which was allied with the Americans, in war against Britain. ABritish fleet under AdmiralSir George Rodney defeated aSpanish squadron under DonJuan de Lángara. The battle is sometimes referred to as theMoonlight Battle (batalla a la luz de la luna) because it was unusual for naval battles in theAge of Sail 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 ofcopper-sheathing the hulls of warships.

Rodney was escorting a fleet of supply ships torelieve the Spanish siege of Gibraltar with a fleet of about twentyships of the line when he encountered Lángara's squadron south ofCape St. Vincent. When Lángara saw the size of the British fleet, he attempted to make for the safety ofCádiz, 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 flagshipFénix. 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 ran aground and was wrecked, while the other safely returned to Cádiz and resumed service with the Spanish Navy.

After the battle Rodney successfully resuppliedGibraltar andMinorca before continuing on to theBritish West Indies. Lángara was released on parole; his career did not suffer from the defeat, and he was promoted tolieutenant general byCharles III of Spain.

One ofSpain's principal goals uponits entry into the American War of Independence in 1779 was the recovery ofGibraltar, which had beenlost to Great Britain in 1704.^[6] The Spanish planned to retake Gibraltar by blockading and starving out its garrison, which included troops from Britain and theElectorate of Hanover.^[7] The siege formally began in June 1779, with the Spanish establishing a land blockade around theRock of Gibraltar.^[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. By late 1779, however, supplies in Gibraltar had become seriously depleted, and its commander, GeneralGeorge Eliott, appealed to London for relief.^[9] A supply convoy was organized, and in late December 1779 a large fleet sailed from England under the command of AdmiralSir George Rodney. Although Rodney's ultimate orders were to command theWest Indies fleet, he had secret instructions to first resupply Gibraltar andMinorca. On 4 January 1780 the fleet divided, with ships headed for the West Indies sailing westward. This left Rodney in command of 19ships of the line, which were to accompany the supply ships to Gibraltar.^[10]

Battle

Cadiz

Gibraltar

Minorca

class=notpageimage|

Map of theIberian Peninsula

On 8 January 1780 ships from Rodney's fleet spotted a group of sails. Giving chase with their fastercopper-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 renamedHMS Prince William, in honour ofPrince William, the third son of the King, who was serving asmidshipman in the fleet. Rodney then detachedHMS America and the frigateHMS Pearl 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.^[11]

On 12 JanuaryHMS Dublin, which had lost part of her topmast on 3 January, suffered additional damage and raised a distress flag. Assisted byHMS Shrewsbury, she limped intoLisbon on 16 January.^[12] The Spanish had learnt of the British relief effort. From the blockading squadron a fleet comprising 11 ships of the line under AdmiralJuan de Lángara was dispatched to intercept Rodney's convoy, and the Atlantic fleet of AdmiralLuis de Córdova y Córdova atCádiz was also alerted to try to catch him. Córdova learnt of the strength of Rodney's fleet, and returned to Cádiz rather than giving chase. On 16 January the fleets of Lángara and Rodney spotted each other around 1:00 pm south ofCape St. Vincent, the southwestern point ofPortugal and theIberian Peninsula.^[13] The weather was hazy, with heavy swells and occasional squalls.^[14]

Portrait of Lángara by unknown artist

Portrait of Rodney byJoshua Reynolds

Rodney was ill, and spent the entire action in his bunk. Hisflag captain, 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 aline of battle, but when he realised the size of Rodney's fleet, he gave orders to make all sail for Cádiz. 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.^[15] 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 thelee 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.^[14] Because of their copper-sheathed hulls (which reduced marine growths and drag), the ships of theRoyal Navy were faster and soon gained on the Spanish.^[17]

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 fromHMS Edgar,HMS Marlborough, andHMS Ajax before blowing up around 4:40, with the loss of all but one of her crew.^[16][18]Marlborough andAjax then passedPrincesa to engage other Spanish ships.Princesa was eventually engaged in an hour-long battle withHMS Bedford before striking her colours at about 5:30.^[19] By 6:00 pm it was getting dark, and there was a discussion aboardHMS Sandwich, 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, the fleet physician, reported it as a decision of the council.^[20]

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.^[21] At 7:30 pm,HMS Defence came upon Lángara's flagshipFenix, engaging her in a battle lasting over an hour. She was broadsided in passing byHMS Montagu andHMS Prince George, and Lángara was wounded in the battle.Fénix finally struck her colours toHMS Bienfaisant, which arrived late in the battle and shot away her mainmast.^[19]Fénix's takeover was complicated by an outbreak ofsmallpox aboardBienfaisant. CaptainJohn MacBride, rather than sending over a possibly infected prize crew, apprised Lángara of the situation and put him and his crew on parole.^[22] At 9:15Montagu engagedDiligente, which struck after her maintopmast was shot away. Around 11:00 pmSan Eugenio surrendered after having all of her masts shot away byHMS Cumberland, but the difficult seas made it impossible to board a prize crew until morning.

That duel was passed byHMS Culloden andPrince George, which engagedSan Julián and compelled her crew to strike the colours around 1:00 am.^[19] The last ship to surrender wasMonarca. She nearly escaped, shooting awayHMS Alcide's topmast, but was engaged in a running battle with the frigate HMSApollo.Apollo managed to keep up the unequal engagement until about the time that Rodney's flagshipSandwich came upon the scene around 2:00 am.Sandwich fired a broadside, unaware thatMonarca had already hauled down her flag.^[23] 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 thatSan Justo andSan Genaro were not in his line of battle (although they are listed in Spanish records as part of his fleet).^[24] According to one account two of Lángara's ships (the two aforementioned) were despatched to investigate other unidentified sails sometime before the action.^[3] Rodney's report states thatSan Justo escaped but was damaged in battle, and thatSan Genaro escaped without damage.^[5]

• 
  The Moonlight Battle byDominic Serres, 1781
• 
  La Battalla de Cabo de San Vincente, painted by an unknown Spanish artist.
• 
  The Moonlight Battle off Cape St. Vincent, 16 January 1780, byRichard Paton.

With the arrival of daylight, it was clear that the British fleet and their prize ships were dangerously close to alee shore with an onshore breeze.^[23] 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 Cádiz;^[5][16] she was later restored to service within two months, and remained so until taken to pieces at Cádiz 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 Cádiz.^[25] The British reported their casualties in the battle as 32 killed and 102 wounded.^[4] The supply convoy sailed into Gibraltar on 19 January, driving the smaller blockading fleet to retreat to the safety ofAlgeciras. Rodney arrived several days later, after first stopping inTangier. 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.^[23]

After also resupplying Minorca, Rodney sailed for the West Indies in February, detaching part of the fleet for service in theChannel. This homebound fleet intercepted a French fleet destined for theEast Indies,capturing one warship and three supply ships.^[26] Gibraltar was resupplied twice more before the siege was lifted at theend of the war in 1783.^[27] Lángara and other captured Spanish officers were eventually released on parole, withCharles III of Spain promoting Lángara tolieutenant general.^[28] He continued to serve in the Spanish navy, being appointed as the naval minister during theFrench Revolutionary Wars.^[29] 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 1782Battle of the Saintes in which he captured French AdmiralFrançois Joseph Paul de Grasse. He was, however, criticised by Captain Young, who portrayed him as weak and indecisive in the battle with Lángara.^[14][30] (He was also rebuked by the admiralty for leaving a ship of the line at Gibraltar, against his express orders.)^[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.^[26][32]

None of the listed sources give an accurate accounting of the ships in Rodney's fleet at the time of the action.Robert Beatson 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.^[33] He does not list two ships (Dublin andShrewsbury, identified in despatches reprinted by Syrett) that were separated from the fleet on 13 January.^[12] Furthermore, HMSPrince William is sometimes misunderstood to have been part of the prize escort back to England, but she was present at Gibraltar after the action.^[34] Beatson also fails to list a number of frigates, includingApollo, which played a key role in the capture ofMonarca.^[35]

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, exceptFénix, which he correctly lists at 80 guns), andSan Julián, which he incorrectly gives as 64 guns. Spanish archives confirm this except forSan Julián.^[37]

One frigate,Santa Rosalia, is listed by Beatson at 28 guns,^[5] although she was actually 26 guns. The identify of the second Spanish frigate is different in the two listings. Beatson records her asSanta Gertrudis, 26 guns, with captain Don Annibal Cassoni, while Duro's listing describes her asSanta Cecilia, 34, captain Don Domingo Pérez de Grandallana; Spanish archives confirm the latter. Both frigates did not participate in the battle, and returned to Cádiz.^[5][38]

• Beatson, Robert (1804).Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain, from 1727 to 1783, Volume 6. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme.OCLC 4643956.
• Chartrand, René (2006).Gibraltar 1779–1783: The Great Siege. Courcelle, Patrice (1st ed.). Oxford: Osprey Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84176-977-6.OCLC 255272192. Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved12 August 2011.
• Duro, Cesáreo Fernández (1901).Armada Española Desde la Unión de los Reinos de Castilla y de León, Volume 7 (in Spanish). Madrid: Establecimiento Tipográfico.OCLC 4413652. Reprints Lángara's report.
• Harbron, John (1988).Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 978-0-85177-477-0.OCLC 19096677.
• Lafuente, Modesto (1858).Historia General de España, Volume 20 (in Spanish). Madrid: Establecimiento Tipográfico de Mellado.OCLC 611596.
• Mahan, Arthur T (1898).Major Operations of the Royal Navy, 1762–1783. Boston: Little, Brown. p. 449.OCLC 46778589.langara.
• Stewart, William (2009).Admirals of the World: a Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.ISBN 978-0-7864-3809-9.OCLC 426390753.
• Syrett, David (2007).The Rodney Papers: Selections From the Correspondence of Admiral Lord Rodney. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing.ISBN 978-0-7546-6007-1.OCLC 506119281. Reprints numerous British documents concerning Rodney's entire expedition.
• de Ulloa, Antonio; Pérez Mallaína-Bueno; Pablo Emilio (1995).La campaña de las terceras (in Spanish). Salamanca: Universidad de Sevilla.ISBN 978-84-472-0241-6.
• Willis, Sam (2008).Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century: the Art of Sailing Warfare. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press.ISBN 978-1-84383-367-3.OCLC 176925283.

• de Castro, Adolfo (1858).Historia de Cádiz y su Provincia (in Spanish). Cádiz: Imprenta de la Revista Médica. p. 516.OCLC 162549293.
• 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 & UnwinISBN 0-04-920022-4
• Trew, Peter.Rodney and The Breaking of the Line Leo Cooper Ltd (2005)ISBN 978-1-84415-143-1

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