Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)

Battle of Cape St. Vincent
	Part of the Anglo-Spanish War and War of the First Coalition
	; The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 14 February 1797 ; Robert Cleveley, 1798
Date	14 February 1797
Location	Off Cape St. Vincent, Atlantic Ocean37°01′30″N 8°59′40″W / 37.02500°N 8.99444°W
Result	British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Sir John Jervis ; William Waldegrave ; Charles Thompson ; William Parker ; Horatio Nelson	José de Córdoba y Ramos ; Francisco Javier Morales ; Francisco Winthuysen † ; Juan de Mondragón ; Conde de Amblimont †
Strength
15 ships of the line ; 5 frigates ; 1 sloop ; 1 cutter	25 ships of the line ; 7 frigates ; 1 brig ; 4 merchantmen
Casualties and losses
73 killed ; 227 wounded	430 killed ; 856 wounded ; 3,000 captured ; 4 ships of the line captured

The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a fleet action fought on 14 February 1797 between the British and Spanish navies off Cape St. Vincent as part of the War of the First Coalition. In one of the opening battles of the recently declared war between Britain and Spain, a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral José de Córdoba y Ramos. The British victory helped to secure Britain's access to the Mediterranean; Jervis and his officers were rewarded for their actions, while Córdoba was dismissed from the Spanish navy and forbidden from appearing at court.