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A British Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a Spanish Flee mounting twice  it's number of guns.

The British Fleet under Jervis comprising 15 ships-of-the-line plus 4 frigates had left Lisbon on 18-January to cruise off Cape St. Vincent. They were joined on 13-February by a squadron fro Gibraltar under Commodore Nelson who had sighted the Spanish Grand Fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar on it's way from Cartagena to Cadiz. The Spanish comprised 27 ships-of-the-line including the huge 130-gun Santisima Trinidad, plus 20 frigates.

The next morning when the fog had lifted the two fleets were in sight of each other. The Spanish were undermanned and in two divisions. The British steered for the opening between the two divisions and attacked the weather one.

By 1600hrs the battle was effectively over and only some skirmishing remained, the Spanish having lost 4 ships.

The Spanish lost 250 killed, 560 wounded and 3,000 taken prisoner.

The British lost 73 dead and 327 wounded.

Copyright © Ian M King, except where otherwise indicated.