Action of 12 December 1779

Overview

The action of 12 December 1779 was a minor naval engagement that took place in the Bay of Honduras during the American Revolutionary War between a British Royal naval Fourth-rate fifty gun ship and a fifty gun Spanish privateer.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The action of 12 December 1779 was a minor naval engagement fought in the Bay of Honduras between a British Royal Navy fourth-rate fifty-gun ship under Charles Inglis and a fifty-gun Spanish privateer commanded by Juan Antonio Zavelleta. It formed part of the broader Anglo-Spanish War that opened in 1779, in which Spain entered the conflict as an ally of France and pursued operations across the Atlantic and Caribbean theaters. British casualties of 337 recorded for the engagement indicate the action was costly relative to its scale. Beyond its place as one of several peripheral clashes in Caribbean and Central American waters during this period, the recorded outcome and its operational consequences within the wider campaign are not documented.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)