Battle of Augusta

Battle of Augusta
	Part of the Franco-Dutch War
	; Combat naval devant Augusta dans le golfe de Messine, 21 avril 1676, oil on canvas by Ambroise Louis Garneray, 1836
Date	22 April 1676
Location	Off Augusta, Sicily
Result	Indecisive
Belligerents
Dutch Republic ; Spain	France
Commanders and leaders
Francisco de la Cerda ; Michiel de Ruyter †	Abraham Duquesne
Strength
27 ships of the line and frigates ; 1,300-1,450 guns	34 ships of the line and frigates ; 1,760–2,200 guns
Casualties and losses
~2,000 killed or wounded	~2,000 killed or wounded

The Battle of Augusta took place near Augusta, Sicily on 22 April 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War. It featured a French fleet under Abraham Duquesne, and a combined Dutch-Spanish fleet, under the overall command of Francisco de la Cerda.

For much of the battle, only part of each fleet was engaged, and despite heavy casualties and severe damage, neither side lost any ships. It ended when the Dutch admiral, Michiel de Ruyter, extracted his squadron from being attacked by superior French numbers, although he was mortally wounded in doing so. The fleets separated next day without resuming the battle, and the result was inconclusive.