A British ship of the line captured a Spanish frigate off the Mediterranean coast, halting Spanish naval raids in the region for the remainder of 1798.
Key Facts
- Date
- 15 July 1798
- British ship
- HMS Lion (ship of the line)
- Spanish force
- 4 frigates under Commodore Don Felix O'Neil
- Frigate captured
- Santa Dorotea
- Spanish base
- Cartagena, Murcia
- British commander
- Captain Manley Dixon
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Vice-Admiral Earl St Vincent dispatched HMS Lion and other vessels into the Western Mediterranean in late spring 1798. A Spanish squadron of four frigates had sailed from Cartagena on a raiding cruise seven days before the battle, and was intercepted by Lion while returning to base after an unsuccessful operation.
HMS Lion engaged the four-frigate Spanish squadron off the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Poor coordination by Commodore O'Neil allowed the frigate Santa Dorotea to become isolated from the other three vessels. Lion rapidly overpowered the separated frigate, forcing her surrender while the remaining Spanish frigates made ineffectual long-range fire before withdrawing to Cartagena.
Dixon secured Santa Dorotea as a prize and sent her to St Vincent's fleet off Cádiz, where she was purchased into the Royal Navy. Lion continued service in the Mediterranean, participating in blockades of Malta and Alexandria. The Spanish launched no further expeditions into the Mediterranean for the rest of the year, their seaports kept under Royal Navy watch.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Manley Dixon, Vice-Admiral Earl St Vincent.
Side B
1 belligerent
Commodore Don Felix O'Neil.