Battle of Vigo Bay
Battle of Vigo Bay was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 at Ría de Vigo, in what is now Spain. It was part of the War of the Spanish Succession, which ran from 1701 to 1714. The recorded result: Anglo-Dutch victory.
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Ludolf Bakhuizen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons .
Fought 23 October 1702
Where Ría de Vigo, Spain 42.275N, 8.675W
Outcome Anglo-Dutch victory
Belligerents England; Dutch Republic against France; Spain
Casualties and losses ~800 killed and All ships burnt or captured; ~2,000 killed
Where it sits in the War of the Spanish Succession Siege of Venlo, 1701 Battle of Carpi, 1701 Battle of Chiari, 1701 Siege of Mantoue, 1701 Battle of Cremona, 1702 Siege of Kaiserswerth, 1702 Battle of Castiglione, 1702 Siege of Landau, 1702 Battle of Luzzara, 1702 Battle of Cádiz, 1702 Siege of Hulst, 1702 Siege of Venlo, 1702 Action of August 1702, 1702 Capture of Liège, 1702 Battle of Friedlingen, 1702 Battle of Vigo Bay, 1702 Siege of Kehl, 1703 Siege of Guadeloupe, 1703 Siege of Bonn, 1703 Battle of Cap de la Roque, 1703 Battle of Krottensee, 1703 Battle of Stekene, 1703 Battle of Ekeren, 1703 Siege of Huy, 1703 First Battle of Höchstädt, 1703 Battle of Speyerbach, 1703 Siege of Mirandola, 1704 Siege of Namur, 1704 Battle of Schellenberg, 1704 Capture of Gibraltar, 1704 Battle of Blenheim, 1704 Battle of Málaga, 1704 Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar, 1704 Siege of Landau, 1704 Siege of Verrua Savoia, 1704 Siege of Colonia del Sacramento, 1704 Siege of Nice, 1705 Battle of Cabrita Point, 1705 Battle of Elixheim, 1705 Battle of Cassano, 1705 Siege of Zoutleeuw, 1705 Siege of Hagenau, 1705 Siege of Badajoz, 1705 Battle of Alcántara, 1706 Battle of Calcinato, 1706 Battle of Ramillies, 1706 Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, 1706 Siege of Cartagena, 1706 Second Siege of Alicante, 1706 Battle of Murcia, 1706 Siege of Turin, 1706 Battle of Castiglione, 1706 Siege of Pavia, 1706 Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1706 Battle of Biniatap, 1707 Battle of Almansa, 1707 Action of 2 May 1707, 1707 Siege of Gaeta, 1707 Siege of Toulon, 1707 Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, 1707 Battle at The Lizard, 1707 Wager's Action, 1708 Battle of Oudenarde, 1708 Siege of Lille, 1708 Battle of Wijnendale, 1708 Siege of Brussels, 1708 Battle of La Gudiña, 1709 Siege of Tournai, 1709 Battle of Malplaquet, 1709 Battle of Rio de Janeiro, 1710 Battle of Syracuse, 1710 Battle of Brihuega, 1710 Battle of Villaviciosa, 1710 Siege of Bouchain, 1711 Capture of the San Joaquin, 1711 Battle of Rio de Janeiro, 1711 Battle of Denain, 1712 Siege of Marchiennes, 1712 Siege of Campo Maior, 1712 Siege of Bouchain, 1712 Siege of Castellciutat, 1713 Siege of Cardona, 1713 Attack on Can Navarro, 1713 Battle of the Malacca Strait, 1714 Battle of Balsareny, 1714 La Gleva Massacre, 1714 Siege of Castellciutat, 1714 Capture of Gironella Castle, 1714 Battle of Manresa, 1714 Attack on the first parallel, 1714 Battle of Manresa, 1714 Bourbons conquer Majorca, 1715 1701 1715 Battle of Vigo Bay, 1702 92 placed engagements of the War of the Spanish Succession in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.
Record
Date 23 October 1702 Place Ría de Vigo, Spain42.275N, 8.675W Kind Naval engagement, early modern Strength 25 ships of the line; + frigates and fireships 15 French ships of the line; 3 Spanish galleons; + frigates, fireships, and transports Casualties and losses ~800 killed All ships burnt or captured; ~2,000 killed Commanders François Louis Rousselet de Châteaurenault Manuel de Velasco y Tejada
Battle of Vigo Bay Battle of Vigo Bay Reconquest of Vigo Battle of Ponte Sampaio Battle of Anceo Battle of Bayona Islands Siege of Tui Battle of Ponte Sampaio Battle of Bayona Islands Siege of Tui Porto La Coruña Santiago de Compostela Braga Bragança Vila Real Viana Do Castelo 100 km 42.275N, 8.675W The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Battle of Vigo Bay is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.
Sources
Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q311759 , released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Vigo Bay , revision 1374900024, 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.
