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Battle of Cape Spartel

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For the battle of the Spanish Civil War, seeBattle of Cape Spartel (1936).

Battle of Cape Spartel
Part of theAmerican Revolutionary War

Relief of Gibraltar by Earl Howe, 11 October 1782,Richard Paton
Date20 October 1782
Location
OffCape Spartel,Atlantic Ocean
35°55′33″N5°54′39″W/ 35.9257°N 5.9109°W/35.9257; -5.9109
Result

Indecisive

  • Retreat of the British fleet[1]
  • Supply route to Gibraltar remains open[2]
Belligerents
Great Britain Spain
France
Commanders and leaders
Richard Howe Luis de Córdova
Strength
34 ships of the line
1 frigate		 34 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
276 killed and wounded 360 killed and wounded

TheBattle of Cape Spartelwas an indecisive naval battle between aFranco-Spanishfleet underAdmiralLuis de Córdova y Córdovaand aBritishfleet under AdmiralRichard Howe.These forces met on 20 October 1782 after Howe successfully resuppliedGibraltar,thenunder siegebyBourbonforces during theAmerican Revolutionary War.

Background

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Main articles:Great Siege of Gibraltar,Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War,andSpain in the American Revolutionary War

WhenSpainentered theAmerican War of Independencein 1779, one of its principal objectives was the capture ofGibraltarfromGreat Britain.Shortly after war was declared, forces of Spain andFrancebegan theGreat Siege of Gibraltar,blockading land access to the peninsula and enacting a somewhat porous naval blockade. Britain successfully resupplied Gibraltar in both 1780 and 1781, and recognized the need to do so again in 1782. The matter was seen as a critical by British political and military leaders, because Spain was seeking cession of the territory in peace talks.

The British Channel Fleet, which was under the command of AdmiralRichard Howe,had a number of conflicting objectives to manage in the summer 1782. In addition to protecting theEnglish Channelfrom Franco-Spanish incursions, the fleet also had to deal with the possibility ofDutchaction on theNorth Seaagainst the transport of critical naval supplies from theBaltic,and it was expected to protect the convoy that would resupply Gibraltar. Even though intelligence received on 25 August indicated the Dutch fleet was in port atTexel,ten ships of the line were despatched to the North Sea while the convoy for Gibraltar took shape atSpithead.These ships returned to port on 4 September.

The convoy that sailed on 11 September included 35 ships of the line, a large convoy of transports destined for Gibraltar, and additional convoys destined for the East and West Indies. Admiral Howe's orders were to deliver the supplies to Gibraltar and then to return to England. Because of bad weather and contrary winds, the fleet destined for Gibraltar did not arrive atCape St. Vincentuntil 9 October.

The Franco-Spanish fleet tasked with the blockade of Gibraltar was anchored inBay of Gibraltar.It consisted of 49 ships of the line, and was under the command of Spanish AdmiralLuis de Córdova.The Spanish ships (numbering 35) were not in good condition. On 10 October a storm wrought havoc on the allied fleet: one ship of the line was driven aground, another was sent under Gibraltar's guns, and a third was swept through theStraits of Gibraltarinto the Mediterranean.[3]

Admiral Howe met with all of his captains, and gave detailed instructions for ensuring the safe arrival of the transports. On 11 October the transports began entry into the straits, followed by covering fleet. Four transports successfully anchored at Gibraltar, but the remainder were carried by the strong currents into the Mediterranean. The fleet followed.[3]Taking advantage of a west-northwest wind, de Córdova's fleet sailed in pursuit, while the Spanish admiral sent his smaller vessels to shadow the British. The British regrouped about 50 miles east of Gibraltar off the Spanish coast on 13 October, but sailed south toward the Moroccan coast upon the approach of the allied fleet. With a fair wind on the 15th, the British reentered the straits, and successfully brought the convoy into Gibraltar between the 16th and 18th.

Battle

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On 19 October the allied fleet was sighted to the east of Gibraltar. Admiral Howe, seeking to avoid battle in the straits, weighed anchor and sailed west, with the allies following. Once clear of the straits, he reduced the fleet's sails, offering de Córdova, who held theweather gage,the option of engaging in battle. On the 20th, de Córdova signalled 'general chase', disregarding division places. The British line of battle was to starboard of the Franco-Spanish. At around 1 pm, and after Cordova's flagship, the 120-gunSantísima Trinidadreached the centre of the combined line, both fleets were about two miles apart. The British reduced sail in order to tighten their line of battle. At 5:45 the van of the Franco-Spanish fleet opened fire. The British returned fire, while Howe signalled 'retreat all sail', making at least 14 Franco-Spanish ships redundant,[clarification needed]among them two three-deckers. No British ships were really engaged, despite the efforts of de Córdova's ships, which chased the British fleet. On the 21st, both fleets were some 12 miles apart. De Córdova made repairs and was ready to resume the action. However, no battle took place the next day as Howe had sailed back to Britain in line with his orders.

Aftermath

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Howe succeeded in his main aim, ensuring that the convoy arrived safely, and returned to England. The success in resupplying the hard pressed garrison at Gibraltar ensured its survival at a time when British forces were suffering a demoralising succession of losses at Minorca, Florida and the West Indies.

The timely resupply combined with the failed Franco-Spanish attack of 13 September on Gibraltar also greatly strengthened the British hand at peace talks begun earlier in October. British diplomats steadfastly refused to part with Gibraltar, despite offers by Spain to trade most of its gains.[4]

The sailing qualities of their ships (in particular the use ofcopper sheathing) enabled the British to decline an action. The Spanish Navy struggled to build faster ships to avoid these situations such as that of theBattle of Cape St. Vincent– the Moonlight Battle – two years before, when Rodney's coppered 18-ship fleet chased down and engaged de Lángara's 11-ship fleet. The Spanish Navy had been slow to begin coppering its own vessels. It was also limited by the slow speed of some of its older and heavier ships, like theSantisima Trinidad.

Order of battle

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British (Howe)

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34 ships of the line (according to Schomberg)

Admiral Richard Howe's fleet
Van - First division
Ship Rate Guns Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
HMSGoliath Third rate 74 CaptainHyde Parker
4
16
20
HMSGanges Third rate 74 CaptainCharles Fielding
6
23
29
HMSRoyal William First rate 100 Captain John Carter Allen
2
13
15
HMSBritannia First rate 100 Vice-AdmiralSamuel Barrington
Captain Benjamin Hill
8
13
21
 Flagship of the van
HMSAtlas Second rate 98 CaptainGeorge Vandeput
2
3
5
HMSRuby Third rate 64 Captain John Collins
6
0
6
Van - Second division
HMSPanther Fourth rate 60 Captain Henry Hervey
3
15
18
HMSFoudroyant Third rate 80 CaptainJohn Jervis
4
8
12
HMSEdgar Third rate 74 CommodoreWilliam Hotham
CaptainWilliam Cayley
0
6
6
HMSPolyphemus Third rate 64 Captain William Finch
0
4
4
HMSSuffolk Third rate 74 Captain Sir George Home
0
0
0
HMSVigilant Third rate 64 Captain John Douglas
1
2
3
Centre - First division
HMSCourageux Third rate 74 CaptainLord Mulgrave
1
4
5
HMSCrown Third rate 64 Captain Samuel Reeve
0
1
1
HMSAlexander Third rate 74 CaptainLord Longford
2
4
6
HMSSampson Third rate 64 CaptainJohn Harvey
2
0
2
HMSPrincess Royal Second rate 98 CaptainJonathan Faulknor
1
0
1
HMSVictory First rate 100 AdmiralViscount Howe
CaptainJohn Leveson-Gower
CaptainHenry Duncan
0
0
0
 Fleet flagship
Centre - Second division
HMSBlenheim Second rate 90 CaptainAdam Duncan
2
3
5
HMSAsia Third rate 64 CaptainRichard Rodney Bligh
0
0
0
HMSEgmont Third rate 74 Captain James Fergusson
0
0
0
HMSQueen Second rate 98 Rear-AdmiralAlexander Hood
CaptainWilliam Domett
1
4
5
HMSBellona Third rate 74 CaptainRichard Onslow
0
0
0
Rear - Second division
HMSRaisonnable Third rate 64 CaptainLord Hervey
1
0
1
HMSFortitude Third rate 64 Captain George Keppel
2
9
11
HMSPrincess Amelia Second rate 84 Rear-AdmiralSir Richard Hughes
Captain John Reynolds
4
5
9
HMSBerwick Third rate 74 CaptainHon. Charles Phipps
1
5
6
HMSBienfaisant Third rate 64 Captain John Howarth
2
4
6
Rear - First division
HMSDublin Third rate 74 CaptainArchibald Dickson
0
0
0
HMSCambridge Second rate 84 CaptainHon. Keith Stewart
4
6
10
HMSOcean Second rate 98 Vice-AdmiralMark Milbanke
Captain Richard Boger
0
0
0
 Flagship of the rear
HMSUnion Second rate 90 CaptainJohn Dalrymple
5
15
20
HMSBuffalo Fourth rate 60 CaptainJohn Holloway
6
16
22
HMSVengeance Third rate 74 CaptainJohn Moutray
2
14
16
Attached frigates
HMSLatona Fifth rate 38 CaptainHon. Hugh Seymour-Conway
0
0
0
63 killed, 198 wounded
Source: Schomberg,Naval Chronology,pp. 390–3.

Franco-Spanish (De Cordova y Cordova)

[edit]

46 ships of the line

The following ships were unable to take any part in the action:

Notes

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  1. ^Fernández Duro p.329
  2. ^Chartrand pg. 84
  3. ^abMackesy, p. 483
  4. ^The Cambridge Modern History,pp. 6:379-380
  5. ^Contenson (1934),p. 159.
  6. ^Contenson (1934),p. 235.

References

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  • Chartrand, René (July 2006).Gibraltar 1779–1783: The Great Siege.Patrice Courcelle (1st ed.). Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-84176-977-6.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.
  • Contenson, Ludovic(1934).La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783).Paris: éditions Auguste Picard.OCLC7842336.
  • Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1901).Armada Española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón.Vol. VII. Madrid, Spain: Sucesores de Rivadeneyra.
  • Mackesy, Piers (1992).The War for America.Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.ISBN9780803281929.OCLC26851403.
  • Acton, Baron John Emerich Edward Dalberg, ed. (1909).The Cambridge Modern History.New York: Macmillan.
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