Battle of Cape Espartel
Battle of Cape Espartel was a naval engagement fought on 29 September 1936 at Cape Spartel, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Spanish Civil War, which ran from 1936 to 1939. The recorded result: Nationalist victory. Recorded strength: 2 destroyers against 1 heavy cruiser; 1 light cruiser.
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Fought 29 September 1936
Where Cape Spartel, Spain 36.246N, 4.642W
Outcome Nationalist victory
Belligerents Spanish Republic against Nationalist Spain
Casualties and losses 1 destroyer sunk; 1 destroyer damaged and None
Where it sits in the Spanish Civil War Siege of Almadén, 1934 Siege of the Alcázar, 1936 Battle of Lopera, 1936 Siege of the Montaña Barracks, 1936 Battle of Vigo, 1936 Siege of Gijón, 1936 Siege of Oviedo, 1936 Siege of Tocina barracks, 1936 Siege of the Loyola barracks, 1936 Battle of Guadarrama, 1936 Convoy de la Victoria, 1936 Battle of Sigüenza, 1936 Battle of Almendralejo, 1936 Battle of Mérida, 1936 Battle of Badajoz, 1936 Battle of Majorca, 1936 Saseta defence work, 1936 Battle of Irún, 1936 Battle of Monte Pelado, 1936 Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe, 1936 Battle of Talavera de la Reina, 1936 Battle of Cerro Muriano, 1936 Siege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza, 1936 Battle of Eibar, 1936 Battle of Cape Espartel, 1936 Battle of Seseña, 1936 Siege of Madrid, 1936 Battle of Ciudad Universitaria, 1936 First Battle of the Corunna Road, 1936 Second Battle of the Corunna Road, 1936 Battle of Guadalajara, 1937 Battle of Jarama, 1937 Battle of El Escamplero, 1937 Battle of Málaga, 1937 Battle of Cape Machichaco, 1937 Battle of Pozoblanco, 1937 Battle of Saibigain, 1937 Battle of Intxortas, 1937 Battle of Bermeo, 1937 Barcelona May Days, 1937 Battle of Sollube, 1937 Battle of Bilbao, 1937 Battle of Albarracín, 1937 Battle of Brunete, 1937 Battle of Belchite, 1937 Battle of Quinto, 1937 Battle of El Mazucu, 1937 Battle of Cape Cherchell, 1937 Battle of Santander, 1937 Battle of Fuentes de Ebro, 1937 Battle of Teruel, 1937 Battle of Caspe, 1938 Battle of Alfambra, 1938 Aragon Offensive, 1938 Battle of Gandesa, 1938 Battle of the Segre, 1938 Merida pocket, 1938 Battle of the Ebro, 1938 Siege of Gandesa, 1938 Sinking of the SS Cantabria, 1938 Catalonia Offensive, 1938 Battle of Bielsa pocket, 1939 1934 1939 Battle of Cape Espartel, 1936 62 placed engagements of the Spanish Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.
Record
Date 29 September 1936 Place Cape Spartel, Spain36.246N, 4.642W Kind Naval engagement, interwar and Second World War Strength 2 destroyers 1 heavy cruiser; 1 light cruiser Casualties and losses 1 destroyer sunk; 1 destroyer damaged None Commanders Fernando Navarro Capdevila Francisco Moreno Fernández (vice admiral)
Battle of Cape Espartel Battle of Cape Espartel Battle of Fuengirola Battle of Río Verde Battle of Guadalhorce Battle of Málaga Battle of Málaga Battle of Fuengirola Battle of Río Verde Battle of Málaga Seville Tangier Granada Gibraltar Melilla Ceuta Larache 100 km 36.246N, 4.642W The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Battle of Cape Espartel is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.
Sources
Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2890877 , released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cape Spartel (1936) , revision 1383813703, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.