Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Cape Ortegal

Battle of Cape Ortegal was a naval engagement fought on 4 November 1805 at Ortegal, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Napoleonic Wars, which ran from 1803 to 1815. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 4 ships of the line; 4 frigates against 4 ships of the line.

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Ce tableau de Francis Sartorius, daté d'environ 1807, représente le retour en Angleterre de la division navale de commodore Strachan après la bataille du cap Ortégal. Le HMS Caesar, vaisseau de 80 can
Ce tableau de Francis Sartorius, daté d'environ 1807, représente le retour en Angleterre de la division navale de commodore Strachan après la bataille du cap Ortégal. Le HMS Caesar, vaisseau de 80 can. Francis Sartorius II, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought4 November 1805
WhereOrtegal, Spain43.818N, 7.858W
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstFrance
Casualties and losses24 killed; 111 woundedand730 killed or wounded; 4 ships of the line captured
Part ofNapoleonic Wars1803 to 1815

Where it sits in the Napoleonic Wars

Battle of Platzberg, 1794Battle of Lodi, 1796Battle of Spinges, 1797Battle of Marengo, 1800Action of 10 December 1800, 1800Battle of West Kay, 1801French capture of Gorée, 1804Battle of Pulo Aura, 1804Battle of Vizagapatam, 1804Raid on Boulogne, 1804Action of 5 October 1804, 1804Action of 10 August 1805, 1805Battle off Cape Palos, 1805Battle of Diamond Rock, 1805Battle of Memmingen, 1805Battle of Ulm, 1805Battle of Cape Ortegal, 1805Battle of Mariazell, 1805Action of 26 July 1806, 1806Battle of Blaauwberg, 1806Battle of San Domingo, 1806Action of 13 March 1806, 1806Action of 21 April 1806, 1806Action of 9 July 1806, 1806Action of 23 August 1806, 1806Action of 25 September 1806, 1806Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, 1806Action of 18 October 1806, 1806Battle of Golymin, 1806Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814, 1807Siege of Stralsund, 1807, 1807Battle of Eylau, 1807Capture of the Jeune Richard, 1807Action of 10 November 1808, 1808Battle of Kock, 1809Action of 22 January 1809, 1809Action of 10 February 1809, 1809Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne, 1809Action of 6 April 1809, 1809Troude's expedition to the Caribbean, 1809Battle of Ratisbon, 1809Battle of the Basque Roads, 1809Battle of Stralsund, 1809Action of 31 May 1809, 1809Action of 13 September 1810, 1810Action of 3 July 1810, 1810Invasion of Île Bonaparte, 1810Action of 15 November 1810, 1810Battle of Lissa, 1811Action of 24 March 1811, 1811Action of 29 November 1811, 1811Action of 22 May 1812, 1812Battle of Pirano, 1812Action of 7 February 1813, 1813Action of 5 November 1813, 1813Battle of Varvažov, 1813Battle of Peterswalde, 1813Siege of Cattaro, 1813Siege of Zara, 1813Siege of Antwerp, 1814Siege of Ragusa, 1814Battle of Jobourg, 1814Siege of Ajaccio, 1815Battle of Montélimar, 1815Battle of Loriol, 1815Battle of Ligny, 1815Battle of Quatre Bras, 1815Battle of Waterloo, 1815Battle of Wavre, 1815Battle of Rocheserviere, 1815Battle of La Suffel, 1815Battle of the Hospital, 1815Battle of Rocquencourt, 1815Battle of Issy, 181517941815Battle of Cape Ortegal, 1805
75 placed engagements of the Napoleonic Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date4 November 1805
PlaceOrtegal, Spain
43.818N, 7.858W
KindNaval engagement, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength4 ships of the line; 4 frigates4 ships of the line
Casualties and losses24 killed; 111 wounded730 killed or wounded; 4 ships of the line captured
Commanders
  • Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
  • Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Battle of Cape OrtegalBattle of Cape OrtegalAction of 12 December 1782Battle of CorunnaBattle of MontecubeiroBattle of LugoBattle of Porto de BoisAction of 12 December 1782Battle of CorunnaBattle of MontecubeiroBattle of LugoBattle of Porto de BoisOviedoSantiago de Compostela100 km43.818N, 7.858W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1805

Battle of Cape Ortegal is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q902181, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cape Ortegal, revision 1382279552, 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.