Battle of Cape Passaro

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Cape Passaro
partof=the War of the Quadruple Alliance


caption=The Battle of Cape Passaro, 11 August 1718 by Richard Paton (oil on canvas, 1767)
date=11 August, 1718
place=Cape Passaro, Sicily
result=Decisive British victory
combatant1=
combatant2= Kingdom of Spain
commander1=
commander2= Antonio de Gaztañeta
Fernando Chacon
strength1=22 ships of the line and 6 others
strength2=18 ships of the line and 27 others
casualties1=minor
casualties2=16 ships taken and 7 burnt [ [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?ID=BHC0351 The Battle of Cape Passaro, 11 August 1718] from Maritime Art Greenwich accessed on May 27 2007] The Battle of Cape Passaro (or Passero) was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacon by a British fleet under Admiral Byng, near Cape Passero on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was declared.

Background

Tensions between Spain and Britain were high. On 2 August 1718 the Quadruple Alliance by the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Great Britain and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, demanding the Spanish withdraw its invading forces from Sicily and Sardinia. The British fleet had landed a small Austrian army near Messina, which began besieging that city which was controlled by the Spanish.

Battle

The Spanish fleet consisted of twenty-six men-of-war, two fireships, four bomb vessels, seven galleys and several other ships with stores and provisions. It was sailing scattered, and the sight of the British ships wasn't initially perceived as any danger, as they were unaware of the Quadruple Alliance's ultimatum. The Spanish fleet split into two - the smaller ships made for the coast, while the larger ships engaged the British as they came up. HMS "Canterbury", under George Walton was detached along with HMS "Argyll", HMS "Burford" and four other ships to chase the first group and captured most of them. These captured Spanish warships were afterwards laid up in Minorca.

Aftermath

Four months later on 17 December 1718, France, Britain and Austria declared war on Spain, starting the War of the Quadruple Alliance. The Netherlands joined them later, declaring war on Spain in August 1719.

Thwarted from Spanish interference, the besieging Austrian army captured Messina the next year, and destroyed the remaining Spanish ships in the harbour. These events combined to eventually forced the Spanish king to accept the terms of the Quadruple Alliance in 1720.

Byng was rewarded handsomely for this victory by King George I of Great Britain, and given full power to negotiate with the various princes and states of Italy, on behalf of the English crown. On his return to England in 1721, he was made Rear-Admiral of Great Britain, a member of the Privy Council, and ennobled as Baron Byng of Southill and 1st Viscount Torrington, in Devon.

Of the ships captured in this battle, the "Principe de Asturias" had formerly been the British 80-gun ship "Cumberland", captured by the French in 1707 and later sold to Spain; after the Battle of Cape Passaro, she was sold to Austria. In 1731 the British offered to return the other captured ships lain up in Minorca, but they were found to be rotten and were broken up instead.

hips involved

Britain (Sir George Byng)
"Barfleur" 90 (flag of Admiral Sir George Byng, 1st Captain George Saunders, 2nd Captain Richard Lestock)
"Shrewsbury" 80 (Vice-Admiral Charles Cornwall, Captain John Balchen)
"Dorsetshire" 80 (Rear-Admiral George Delavall, Captain John Furzer)
"Breda" 70 (Barrow Harris)
"Burford" 70 (Charles Vanbrugh)
"Captain" 70 (Archibald Hamilton)
"Essex" 70 (Richard Rowzier)
"Grafton" 70 (Nicholas Haddock)
"Kent" 70 (Thomas Mathews)
"Lenox" 70 (Charles Strickland)
"Orford" 70 (Edward Falkingham)

"Royal Oak" 70 (Thomas Kempthorne)
"Canterbury" 60 (George Walton)
"Dreadnought" 60 (William Haddock)
"Dunkirk" 60 (Francis Drake)
"Montagu" 60 (Thomas Beverley)
"Ripon" 60 (Christopher O'Brien)
"Rupert" 60 (Arthur Field)
"Superb" 60 (Streynsham Master)
"Rochester" 50 (Joseph Winder)
"Argyll" 50 (Conningsby Norbury)
"Charles Galley" 44 (Philip Vanbrugh)

Total: 1 of 90 guns, 2 of 80 guns, 9 of 70 guns, 7 of 60 guns, 2 of 50 guns, 1 of 44 guns. The British fleet also comprised 6 smaller vessels - the fireships "Garland" (Samuel Atkins) and "Griffin" (Humphrey Orme), the storeship "Success" (Francis Knighton), the hospital ship "Looe" (Timothy Splaine), the bomb-ketch "Basilisk" (John Hubbard) and an un-named bomb tender.

Spain (Vice-Admiral Don José Antonio de Gaztañeta)
"Real San Felipe (El Real)" 74 (flag) - Captured by "Superbe" and "Kent", blew up after being towed to Mahon
"Principe de Asturias" 70 (Rear-Admiral Don Fernando Chacon) - Captured by "Breda" and "Captain"
"San Juan Bautista" 60 (Don Francisco Guerrera) - Escaped to Malta.
"San Luis" 60 (Rear-Admiral Don Balthazar de Guavara) - Escaped to Malta.
"San Pedro" 60 (Don Antonio Arrisago) - Escaped
"San Carlos" 60 (Principe de Chalay) - Captured by "Kent"
"Real Mazi (El Real)" 60 (Rear-Admiral Marques de Mari) - Captured by "Canterbury"'s division
"San Fernando" 60 (Rear-Admiral George Cammock) - Escaped to Malta
"Santa Isabel(la)"/"San Isabel" 60 (Don Andrea Reggio) - Captured by "Dorsetshire"
"Santa Rosa" 60 (Don Antonio Gonzales) - Captured by "Orford"
"Perla de España" 54 (Don Gabriel Alderete) - Escaped to Malta
"San Isidro" 46 (Don Manuel Villavicentia) - Captured by "Canterbury"'s division
"Hermione" 44 (Don Rodrigo de Torres) - Escaped, but then burnt at Messina
"Volante" 44 (Don Antonio Escudero) - Captured by "Montagu" and "Rupert"
"Aguila" 24 (Don Lucas Masnata) - Captured by "Canterbury"'s division
"Esperanza" 46 (Don Juan Delfino y Barlande) - Burnt to escape capture
"Juno" 36 (Don Pedro Moyana - Captured by "Essex"
"Sorpresa" 36 (Don Michael de Sada) - Captured by "Canterbury"'s division
"Galera" 30 (Don Francisco Alverera) - Escaped
"Castilla" 30 (Don Francisco Lenio) - Escaped
"Conde de Tolosa" 30 (Don Juan Goccocea) - Escaped, but then captured at Messina

Total: 1-74, 1-70, 8-60, 4-50, 3-40, 2-30, 3-26, 1-14 gun, 13 other

References

*"Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy" (1988)
*"Pattee Byng's Journal 1718-1720" (1950)