Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, early modern

Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval engagement fought on 16 January 1780 at Cape St. Vincent, in what is now Portugal. It was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, which ran from 1779 to 1783. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 18 ships of the line; 3 frigates; 3 post ships against 11 ships of the line; 2 frigates.

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"The moonlight Battle of Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780", by Francis Holman, painted 1780. The painting shows Santo Domingo exploding, with Rodney's flagship Sandwich in the foreground.
"The moonlight Battle of Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780", by Francis Holman, painted 1780. The painting shows Santo Domingo exploding, with Rodney's flagship Sandwich in the foreground.. Francis Holman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 January 1780
WhereCape St. Vincent, Portugal36.818N, 8.564W
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsGreat BritainagainstSpain
Part ofAnglo-Spanish War1779 to 1783

Where it sits in the Anglo-Spanish War

Capture of Río Hondo, 1779Action of 11 November 1779, 1779Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1780Capture of HMS St. Fermin, 1781Siege of Sant Felip, 1781Battle of Roatán, 1782Battle of the Black River, 1782Action of 6 September 1782, 178217791782Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1780
8 placed engagements of the Anglo-Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 January 1780
PlaceCape St. Vincent, Portugal
36.818N, 8.564W
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength18 ships of the line; 3 frigates; 3 post ships11 ships of the line; 2 frigates
Casualties and losses32 killed; 102 wounded2,500 killed, wounded or captured; 4 ships of the line captured; 1 ship of the line destroyed; 1 ship of the line wrecked
Commanders
  • Juan de Lángara
Battle of Cape St. VincentBattle of Cape St. VincentBattle of Cape St. VincentBattle of LagosSiege of SilvesAction of 30 September 1681Battle of Cape St. VincentBattle of LagosSiege of SilvesHuelvaPortimãoBeja100 km36.818N, 8.564W
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 1780

Battle of Cape St. Vincent is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 135 in present-day Portugal.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q178912, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780), revision 1370623398, 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.