Action of 14 September 1779

Overview

The action of 14 September 1779 was a minor naval engagement that occurred on 14 September 1779, off the Azores between the Royal Navy frigate HMS Pearl under the command of George Montagu and the Spanish Navy frigate Santa Mónica under the command of Miguel de Nunes, with Pearl capturing Santa Mónica after a brief engagement. In September 1779, three years into the American Revolutionary War, Montagu set sail on Pearl on a cruise in the eastern fringes of the Atlantic Ocean.

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

Significance

The action of 14 September 1779 was a minor naval engagement in the eastern Atlantic, off the Azores, occurring in the early months of the Anglo-Spanish War. HMS Pearl under George Montagu captured the Spanish frigate Santa Mónica under Manuel Núñez Gaona following a brief exchange. Spanish casualties numbered 180. The engagement took place during a cruising patrol in the eastern Atlantic and resulted in the loss of a Spanish frigate, though its wider effect on the Anglo-Spanish War or the concurrent American Revolutionary War was limited given the action's scale and the sparse record of any subsequent strategic consequence.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)