Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Overview

The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a fleet action fought off Cape St. Vincent on 16–17 January 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. A Royal Navy fleet under Admiral of the White Sir George Rodney defeated a smaller Spanish Navy fleet under Squadron Commander Juan de Lángara in a battle which became known as the Moonlight Battle because it was unusual for naval battles in the Age 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 of copper sheathing the hulls of warships.

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

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)