An English naval victory at Sesimbra Bay captured a Spanish carrack and repelled galleys, marking Elizabeth I's final ordered expedition against Spain.
Key Facts
- Date
- 3 June 1602
- Conflict
- Anglo-Spanish War
- English commanders
- Richard Leveson and William Monson
- Spanish commanders
- Álvaro de Bazán and Federico Spinola
- Spanish galleys sunk
- 2
- Vessels captured
- 1 large carrack
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Anglo-Spanish War, England sought to prevent further Spanish naval incursions against Ireland and England itself. Queen Elizabeth I dispatched a naval expeditionary force with orders to intercept Spanish forces operating off the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain and Portugal were united under the Iberian Union.
On 3 June 1602, English forces under Richard Leveson and William Monson engaged a Spanish fleet of galleys and a large carrack commanded by Álvaro de Bazán and Federico Spinola in Sesimbra Bay. The English sank two galleys, forced the remainder to retreat, neutralized a shore fort, and captured the carrack.
The English emerged victorious, securing a significant material prize in the captured carrack and diminishing Spanish naval capacity in the region. This battle proved to be the last naval expedition dispatched to Spain under Elizabeth I's orders, as she died the following year in 1603.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Richard Leveson, William Monson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Álvaro de Bazán, Federico Spinola.