Battle of Cape Passaro

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Battle of Cape Passaro
Part of the War of the Quadruple Alliance
The Battle of Cape Passaro, 11 August 1718 by Richard Paton (oil on canvas, 1767)
Date 11 August 1718 Location Cape Passaro, Sicily Result Decisive British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Kingdom of Spain
Commanders
Sir George Byng	Antonio de Gaztañeta Fernando Chacon
Strength
22 ships of the line and 6 others	18 ships of the line and 27 others
Casualties and losses
minor	16 ships taken and 7 burnt[1]

The Battle of Cape Passaro (or Passero) was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacon by a British fleet under Admiral Byng, near Cape Passero on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was declared.

Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Ships involved 5 References

[edit] Background

Tensions between Spain and Britain were high. On 2 August 1718 the Quadruple Alliance by the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Great Britain and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, demanding the Spanish withdraw its invading forces from Sicily and Sardinia. The British fleet had landed a small Austrian army near Messina, which began besieging that city which was controlled by the Spanish.

[edit] Battle

The Spanish fleet consisted of twenty-six men-of-war, two fireships, four bomb vessels, seven galleys and several other ships with stores and provisions. It was sailing scattered, and the sight of the British ships wasn't initially perceived as any danger, as they were unaware of the Quadruple Alliance's ultimatum. The Spanish fleet split into two - the smaller ships made for the coast, while the larger ships engaged the British as they came up. HMS Canterbury, under George Walton was detached along with HMS Argyll, HMS Burford and four other ships to chase the first group and captured most of them. These captured Spanish warships were afterwards laid up in Minorca.

[edit] Aftermath

Four months later on 17 December 1718, France, Britain and Austria declared war on Spain, starting the War of the Quadruple Alliance. The Netherlands joined them later, declaring war on Spain in August 1719.

Thwarted from Spanish interference, the besieging Austrian army captured Messina the next year, and destroyed the remaining Spanish ships in the harbour. These events combined to eventually forced the Spanish king to accept the terms of the Quadruple Alliance in 1720.

Byng was rewarded handsomely for this victory by King George I of Great Britain, and given full power to negotiate with the various princes and states of Italy, on behalf of the English crown. On his return to England in 1721, he was made Rear-Admiral of Great Britain, a member of the Privy Council, and ennobled as Baron Byng of Southill and 1st Viscount Torrington, in Devon.

Of the ships captured in this battle, the Principe de Asturias had formerly been the British 80-gun ship Cumberland, captured by the French in 1707 and later sold to Spain; after the Battle of Cape Passaro, she was sold to Austria. In 1731 the British offered to return the other captured ships lain up in Minorca, but they were found to be rotten and were broken up instead.

[edit] Ships involved

Britain (Sir George Byng)
Barfleur 90 (flag of Admiral Sir George Byng, 1st Captain George Saunders, 2nd Captain Richard Lestock)
Shrewsbury 80 (Vice-Admiral Charles Cornwall, Captain John Balchen)
Dorsetshire 80 (Rear-Admiral George Delavall, Captain John Furzer)
Breda 70 (Barrow Harris)
Burford 70 (Charles Vanbrugh)
Captain 70 (Archibald Hamilton)
Essex 70 (Richard Rowzier)
Grafton 70 (Nicholas Haddock)
Kent 70 (Thomas Mathews)
Lenox 70 (Charles Strickland)
Orford 70 (Edward Falkingham)
Royal Oak 70 (Thomas Kempthorne)
Canterbury 60 (George Walton)
Dreadnought 60 (William Haddock)
Dunkirk 60 (Francis Drake)
Montagu 60 (Thomas Beverley)
Ripon 60 (Christopher O'Brien)
Rupert 60 (Arthur Field)
Superb 60 (Streynsham Master)
Rochester 50 (Joseph Winder)
Argyll 50 (Conningsby Norbury)
Charles Galley 44 (Philip Vanbrugh)

Total: 1 of 90 guns, 2 of 80 guns, 9 of 70 guns, 7 of 60 guns, 2 of 50 guns, 1 of 44 guns. The British fleet also comprised 6 smaller vessels - the fireships Garland (Samuel Atkins) and Griffin (Humphrey Orme), the storeship Success (Francis Knighton), the hospital ship Looe (Timothy Splaine), the bomb-ketch Basilisk (John Hubbard) and an un-named bomb tender.

Spain (Vice-Admiral Don José Antonio de Gaztañeta)
Real San Felipe (El Real) 74 (flag) - Captured by Superbe and Kent, blew up after being towed to Mahon
Principe de Asturias 70 (Rear-Admiral Don Fernando Chacon) - Captured by Breda and Captain
San Juan Bautista 60 (Don Francisco Guerrera) - Escaped to Malta.
San Luis 60 (Rear-Admiral Don Balthazar de Guavara) - Escaped to Malta.
San Pedro 60 (Don Antonio Arrisago) - Escaped
San Carlos 60 (Principe de Chalay) - Captured by Kent
Real Mazi (El Real) 60 (Rear-Admiral Marques de Mari) - Captured by Canterbury's division
San Fernando 60 (Rear-Admiral George Cammock) - Escaped to Malta
Santa Isabel(la)/San Isabel 60 (Don Andrea Reggio) - Captured by Dorsetshire
Santa Rosa 60 (Don Antonio Gonzales) - Captured by Orford
Perla de España 54 (Don Gabriel Alderete) - Escaped to Malta
San Isidro 46 (Don Manuel Villavicentia) - Captured by Canterbury's division
Hermione 44 (Don Rodrigo de Torres) - Escaped, but then burnt at Messina
Volante 44 (Don Antonio Escudero) - Captured by Montagu and Rupert
Aguila 24 (Don Lucas Masnata) - Captured by Canterbury's division
Esperanza 46 (Don Juan Delfino y Barlande) - Burnt to escape capture
Juno 36 (Don Pedro Moyana - Captured by Essex
Sorpresa 36 (Don Michael de Sada) - Captured by Canterbury's division
Galera 30 (Don Francisco Alverera) - Escaped
Castilla 30 (Don Francisco Lenio) - Escaped
Conde de Tolosa 30 (Don Juan Goccocea) - Escaped, but then captured at Messina

Total: 1-74, 1-70, 8-60, 4-50, 3-40, 2-30, 3-26, 1-14 gun, 13 other

[edit] References