A small Spanish flyboat squadron under Zubiaur defeated a larger Anglo-Dutch flotilla, capturing seven vessels off the Galician coast in 1590.
Key Facts
- Anglo-Dutch fleet size
- 14 ships
- Spanish force size
- 3 flyboats
- Ships captured
- 7 (including Dutch flagship)
- Spanish commander
- Captain Don Pedro de Zubiaur
- Conflict context
- Eighty Years' War / Anglo-Spanish War 1585–1604
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the overlapping conflicts of the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), Anglo-Dutch naval forces operated along the Iberian coast to disrupt Spanish sea power. This brought a flotilla of 14 ships into the waters off Bayona Islands, near Vigo, where a small Spanish naval detachment under Captain Don Pedro de Zubiaur was positioned to intercept them.
In early 1590, three Spanish flyboats commanded by Zubiaur engaged the Anglo-Dutch flotilla of 14 ships off the Cíes Islands near Bayona, Spain. After several hours of hard combat, the Spanish force prevailed decisively: the Dutch flagship was boarded and captured, along with six additional vessels, and the remainder of the Anglo-Dutch fleet was compelled to surrender.
Following the victory, Zubiaur sailed to Ferrol with the captured ships, surprising the Spanish port authorities with the extent of his success. The engagement demonstrated that a small but determined Spanish squadron could overcome a numerically superior Anglo-Dutch force, delivering a notable tactical win for Spain during a period of sustained naval rivalry.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Don Pedro de Zubiaur.
Side B
1 belligerent