Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, early modern

Battle of Elmina

Battle of Elmina was a naval engagement fought on 25 October 1625 at Elmina, in what is now Ghana. It was part of the Dutch–Portuguese War, which ran from 1601 to 1661. The recorded result: Portuguese victory. Recorded strength: 1,200 soldiers; 15 ships against 56 Portuguese; 200 African allies.

See it on the globe Read the article

View of Elmina Castle in 1668, with European shipping in foreground and African houses/town shown in left hand corner and in various areas around the fort.
View of Elmina Castle in 1668, with European shipping in foreground and African houses/town shown in left hand corner and in various areas around the fort.. http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/ en:Elmina, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Record

Date25 October 1625
PlaceElmina, Ghana
5.083N, 1.347W
Part ofDutch–Portuguese War (1601 to 1661)
KindNaval engagement, early modern
ResultPortuguese victory
BelligerentsDutch West India CompanyPortugal
CommandersJan Dircksz LamFernando de Sottomayor
Strength1,200 soldiers; 15 ships56 Portuguese; 200 African allies
Casualties and lossesAll killed except 4527 killed
Battle of ElminaBattle of ElminaBattle of ElminaBattle of ElminaCapture of CarolusborgAssault on OsuBattle of ElminaAssault on OsuTemaObuasiKoforiduaWinneba100 km5.083N, 1.347W
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 1625

Battle of Elmina is one of 979 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 10 in present-day Ghana.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1140266, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Elmina (1625), revision 1375871907, 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.