HistoryData
war1604

1604 naval action during the Anglo-Spanish War

August 7, 1604

A minor naval skirmish near Cádiz days before the Treaty of London ended the Anglo-Spanish War, illustrating the war's final moments at sea.

Quick Facts

Year
1604
Category
war

Key Facts

Date
7 August 1604
Spanish commander
Antonio de Oquendo
Spanish force
2 galleons
English ships involved
2 corsairs
Outcome
One English ship captured, one damaged
Days before Treaty of London
A few days

By the Numbers

7
Date
2
Spanish force
2
English ships involved

Location

Map of Cádiz, SpainMap of Cádiz, SpainCádiz, Spain

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

During the final phase of the Anglo-Spanish War, English corsairs operating in service of the Barbary States were raiding shipping lanes and coastal villages from Galicia to the Gulf of Cádiz, threatening Spanish maritime commerce and communities along the Atlantic coast.

Event

On 7 August 1604, a Spanish flotilla of two galleons under Antonio de Oquendo intercepted two English corsair vessels near the Gulf of Cádiz. The engagement resulted in the capture of one English ship and damage to the other, ending the threat those particular vessels posed.

Consequence

The skirmish proved to be one of the last naval actions of the Anglo-Spanish War. Within days, England and Spain signed the Treaty of London, formally ending the conflict and rendering further hostilities between the two powers unnecessary.

Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis

Side A

1 belligerent

Spain
Key Commanders

Antonio de Oquendo.

Side B

1 belligerent

English corsairs (in service of the Barbary States)
Outcome
Spanish victory: one English corsair captured, one damaged

Timeline Context

Timeline around 160416041601160216031605160616071604 siege and conquest of Sluis by Dutch rebel general Maurice of Nassau1604 three-year siege during the Eighty Years' Warbattle-of-the-gulf-of-cadiz-1604