A British brig-sloop with 54 men and 14 guns captured a Spanish frigate carrying 319 men and 32 guns, illustrating extreme disparity in naval engagements.
Key Facts
- British crew size
- 54 men
- Spanish crew size
- 319 men
- British guns
- 14 guns
- Spanish guns
- 32 guns
- Spanish killed
- 14 men
- British commander
- Commander Lord Cochrane
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the War of the Second Coalition, British naval forces actively engaged Spanish shipping in the Mediterranean. HMS Speedy, a small brig-sloop under Commander Lord Cochrane, encountered the considerably larger Spanish xebec-frigate El Gamo, creating conditions for an asymmetric single-ship engagement.
On 6 May 1801, HMS Speedy, crewed by 54 men and armed with 14 guns, attacked and captured El Gamo, which carried 319 men and 32 guns. Spanish captain Francisco de Torres was among 14 Spaniards killed, and the surviving crew was taken prisoner by the British.
Following the battle, the British took the entire surviving Spanish crew captive and eventually sold the captured El Gamo to the Regency of Algiers. The engagement became one of the most celebrated single-ship actions in Royal Navy history, bolstering Cochrane's growing reputation as a bold and unconventional commander.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lord Cochrane.
Side B
1 belligerent
Francisco de Torres.