Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval engagement fought on 14 February 1797 at Cape St. Vincent, in what is now Portugal. It was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, which ran from 1796 to 1808. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 15 ships of the line; 5 frigates; 1 sloop; 1 cutter against 25 ships of the line; 7 frigates; 1 brig; 4 merchantmen.

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The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 This painting is one of a pair with BHC0485, showing the Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1801. The pair
The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 This painting is one of a pair with BHC0485, showing the Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1801. The pair. Robert Cleveley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought14 February 1797
WhereCape St. Vincent, Portugal37.025N, 8.994W
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsGreat BritainagainstSpain
Part ofAnglo-Spanish War1796 to 1808

Where it sits in the Anglo-Spanish War

Action of 13 October 1796, 1796Action of 19 December 1796, 1796Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797Action of 26 April 1797, 1797Action of 19 January 1799, 1799Action of 16 October 1799, 1799Cutting out of the Hermione, 1799Battle of Montevideo, 1807Battle of Cardal, 1807Battle of Colonia del Sacramento, 1807Action of 2 June 1807, 180717961807Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797
11 placed engagements of the Anglo-Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date14 February 1797
PlaceCape St. Vincent, Portugal
37.025N, 8.994W
KindNaval engagement, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength15 ships of the line; 5 frigates; 1 sloop; 1 cutter25 ships of the line; 7 frigates; 1 brig; 4 merchantmen
Casualties and losses73 killed; 227 wounded430 killed; 856 wounded; 3,000 captured; 4 ships of the line captured
Commanders
  • José de Córdoba y Ramos
  • Francisco Javier Morales de los Ríos
  • Francisco Javier Winthuysen y Pineda
  • Juan Joaquín Moreno de Mondragón
  • Claude-François Renart d'Amblimont
Battle of Cape St. VincentBattle of Cape St. VincentBattle of Cape St. VincentAction of 30 September 1681Action of 28 November 1751Action of 18 March 1748Battle of LagosBattle of LagosPortimãoBeja100 km37.025N, 8.994W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1641 and 1797.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1797

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 Q373401, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797), revision 1383177494, 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.