A British blockading squadron captured 13 of 16 Spanish convoy vessels off Cádiz, including two frigates, disrupting colonial trade.
Key Facts
- Date
- 6–7 April 1800
- Convoy size
- 16 ships (13 merchant + 3 frigates)
- Vessels captured
- 13 of 16 ships
- Spanish frigates taken
- 2 (Nuestra Señora del Carmén, Santa Florentina)
- British commander
- Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth
- Destination of captures
- Gibraltar
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A Spanish convoy of 13 merchant vessels escorted by three frigates departed Cádiz on 3 April 1800, bound for Spanish American colonies. It encountered a British blockading squadron of two ships of the line and a frigate under Rear-Admiral Duckworth, whose force sought to intercept colonial trade and supplies running from the blockaded port.
Over 6–7 April, the British frigate HMS Emerald captured one vessel on 6 April. The following morning, HMS Leviathan and Emerald overtook the main convoy still under Spanish frigate escort. Two Spanish frigates, Nuestra Señora del Carmén and Santa Florentina, mistook the British ships for friendly vessels, approached too closely, and were forced to surrender after brief resistance. The third frigate, Santa Sabina, escaped.
With the two escort frigates taken and the third in flight, the remainder of the convoy was left unprotected. The British seized four more merchant vessels, sending 13 ships in total into Gibraltar. The action demonstrated the effectiveness of the Cádiz blockade in severing Spanish colonial trade links during the War of the Second Coalition.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth.
Side B
1 belligerent