Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)

E534873

The Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780) was a major naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War in which a British fleet under Admiral George Brydges Rodney decisively defeated a Spanish squadron off Portugal’s southwestern coast.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle of the American Revolutionary War
naval battle
alsoKnownAs Moonlight Battle
Rodney’s Action off Cape St. Vincent
belligerent Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Spain
campaign Gibraltar relief campaign of 1780
cause British attempt to relieve Gibraltar
Spanish naval operations against British supply lines
combatantCommander (British) Admiral George Brydges Rodney
combatantCommander (Spanish) Admiral Juan de Lángara
commander George Brydges Rodney
Juan de Lángara
commandRank (George Brydges Rodney) Admiral
commandRank (Juan de Lángara) Admiral
conflict American Revolutionary War
countryInvolved Great Britain
Spain
date 16 January 1780
era Age of Sail
followedBy relief of Gibraltar (1780)
geographicalReference southwestern coast of Portugal
historicalPeriod late 18th century
involvedForce British Channel Fleet detachment
Spanish squadron from Cádiz
location Atlantic Ocean
off Cape St. Vincent, Portugal
namedAfter Cape St. Vincent
navalPowerInvolved Royal Navy
Spanish Navy
navalTactics close action at night
line-of-battle engagement
objective to break the Spanish blockade of Gibraltar
to escort a convoy to Gibraltar and Minorca
outcome British control of the battlefield
Spanish squadron heavily defeated
several Spanish ships of the line captured
partOf Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783)
Rodney’s 1780 relief expedition to Gibraltar
precededBy Spanish entry into the American Revolutionary War (1779)
result British victory
significance secured passage of British convoy to Gibraltar
strengthened British naval prestige
weakened Spanish naval presence in the region
theatre European theatre of the American Revolutionary War
timeOfDay fought partly at night
year 1780

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

George Brydges Rodney notableWork Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
George Brydges Rodney commanded Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783) hasBattle Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783) hasBattle Battle of Cape Roca (1780)
linked to: Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Admiral José de Córdoba y Ramos notableEvent Battle of Cape St Vincent
linked to: Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
HMS Ramillies notableEngagement Battle of Cape St Vincent (1780)
linked to: Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Battle of Martinique (1780) precededBy Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Battle of Cape Henry precededBy Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
1st Baron Rodney notableWork Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
George Brydges Rodney notableBattle Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
subject linked to: George
George Brydges Rodney notableWork Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
subject linked to: Admiral George Brydges Rodney
European theatre of the American Revolutionary War conflict Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
European theatre of the American Revolutionary War conflict Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1781)
linked to: Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)