Key Facts
- Date
- 12 July 1801
- Real Carlos guns
- 112-gun ship, exploded with enormous loss of life
- Ship captured
- Saint Antoine captured by HMS Superb
- British ship lost
- HMS Venerable driven ashore (later recovered)
- Preceding action
- First Battle of Algeciras, 6 July 1801
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 12 July the combined Franco-Spanish squadron departed Algeciras westward. Rear-Admiral Saumarez gave chase, ordering captains to engage independently. HMS Superb raced ahead in darkness, opened fire on the Spanish rearguard, set the 112-gun Real Carlos ablaze, and captured Saint Antoine. Real Carlos mistakenly engaged San Hermenegildo; both exploded with massive casualties. HMS Venerable then attacked the French Formidable under Troude but was badly damaged and driven ashore, allowing the French to reach Cádiz.
01 / The Origins
The battle arose from the wider War of the Second Coalition, in which Britain sought to neutralise French naval power in the western Mediterranean. A French squadron had taken refuge at the Spanish port of Algeciras after operations at sea. A British attack on 6 July 1801 failed, costing HMS Hannibal, but both sides called up reinforcements: Spain dispatched six ships of the line from Cádiz to escort the French vessels to safety.
03 / The Outcome
Venerable was towed to Gibraltar for repairs while the British resumed the blockade of Cádiz, largely restoring the pre-battle strategic situation. The heavy Spanish losses weakened the Franco-Spanish alliance and contributed to diplomatic pressure that resulted in the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, temporarily ending the war. France nonetheless celebrated the battle as a victory, and Captain Troude was praised and promoted for his spirited defence of Formidable.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, Captain Richard Goodwin Keats.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Amable Troude.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.