The action of 8 January 1780 was a naval encounter off

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; gl, Cabo Fisterra, italic=no ; es, Cabo Finisterre, italic=no ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like ...

between a British Royal Naval fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney, and a fleet of Spanish merchants sailing in convoy with seven warships of the Caracas Company, under the command of Commodore Don Juan Augustin de Yardi. During the action the entire Spanish convoy was captured. Rodney's fleet was en route to relieve Gibraltar, and this action took place several days before Rodney's engagement and defeat of a Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.

Background

One of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

's principal goals upon its entry into the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

in 1779 was the recovery of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, which had been lost to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1704. The Spanish consequently planned to retake Gibraltar by blockading and starving out its garrison, which included troops from Britain and the

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. The siege formally began in June 1779, with the Spanish establishing a land blockade around The Rock. The matching naval blockade was comparatively weak, and the British discovered that small fast ships could evade the blockaders, while slower and larger supply ships generally could not. By late 1779, however, supplies in Gibraltar had become seriously depleted, and General George Eliott appealed to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for relief. A supply convoy was organized, and in late December 1779 a large fleet sailed from England under the command of Admiral

Sir George Brydges Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at t ...

. Although Rodney's final destination was the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

, he had secret instructions to first resupply Gibraltar and

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

Action

On 4 January Rodney parted with the ship of the line under Sir John Hamilton, and the frigates , and under Captains Hyde Parker, H. Bryne and William Dickson respectively, to escort the West Indies-bound merchants. The following day Rodney encountered a Spanish convoy consisting of 22 ships, bound from

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. He closed on them, the

copper sheathing Copper sheathing is the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat from the corrosive effects of salt water and biofouling through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed by ...

on some of his ships allowing them to outsail the Spanish. The whole convoy was captured, except for one merchant vessel. Vessels which had been carrying naval stores to the Spanish fleet at Cádiz, and baled goods for the Royal Caracas Company were sent back to England, escorted by and .

Aftermath

Rodney found the Spanish ships to be carrying provisions useful to Gibraltar and so used them to relieve the British forces there. In addition Rodney commissioned and manned the captured Spanish flagship, the 64-gun ''Guipuzcoana'', naming her , in honour of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

, who was present at the engagement. Rodney remarked in his despatches to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

that the loss of the ships "must greatly distress the enemy, who I am well informed are in much want of provisions and naval stores". Several days later Rodney engaged and defeated a Spanish fleet under Don

Juan de Lángara Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte (''Juan Francisco Langara Uharte'' in Basque) (1736 in Coruña, Galicia – 1806 in Madrid) was a Spanish naval officer and Minister of Marine. By all accounts, Lángara was a highly skilled, brave and s ...

at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, on 16 January 1780, before going on to relieve Gibraltar and Menorca. The 16-gun ''San Fermin'' that was captured in this action was also commissioned to serve in the Royal Navy, and then would be recovered by the Spanish in April 1781.

Ships involved

The order of battle is as reported by Beatson.

British fleet

* (90) Admiral

, Captain Walter Young * (98) Rear-Admiral Robert Digby, Captain

Philip Patton Admiral Philip Patton (27 October 1739 – 31 December 1815) was a Royal Navy officer. Naval career Educated at Kirkcaldy's grammar school, Patton joined the Royal Navy in 1755. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Lagos in Augu ...

* (100) Rear-Admiral John Lockhart Ross, Captain J. Bourmaster * (74) Captain J. Brisbane * (74) Captain S. Uvedale * (74) Captain Edmund Affleck * (74) Captain George Balfour * (74) Captain J. Peyton * (74) Captain John Elliot * (74) Captain J. Houlton * (74) Captain Adam Duncan * (74) Captain Mark Robinson * (74) Captain J. Douglas * (74) Captain

Chaloner Ogle Admiral of the Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle KB (1681 – 11 April 1750) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer during the Nine Years' War, a ship he was commanding was captured by three French ships off Ostend in ...

* (74) Captain S. Cornish * (74) Captain James Cranston * (74) Captain T. Penny * (74) Captain S. Wallis * (64) Captain S. Thompson * (64) Captain

John MacBride John MacBride (sometimes written John McBride; ga, Seán Mac Giolla Bhríde; 7 May 1868 – 5 May 1916) was an Irish republican and military leader. He was executed by the British government for his participation in the 1916 Easter R ...

* (32) Captain

Henry Harvey Admiral Sir Henry Harvey KB (Bef. 4 Aug 1737 – 28 December 1810) was a long-serving officer of the British Royal Navy during the second half of the eighteenth century. Harvey participated in numerous naval operations and actions and espec ...

* (28) Captain George Montagu * (24) Captain

Skeffington Lutwidge Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge (13 March 1737 – 15/16 August 1814) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He had a particular connection wi ...

* (24) Captain John Bazely * (24) Captain

Lord Hugh Seymour Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late 18th century who was the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, and became known for being both a p ...

* (24) Captain Edward Thomson

Spanish fleet

Caracas Company warships

* ''Guipuzcoano'' (64) Commodore Don Juan Augustin de Yardi, Captain Don Tomás de Malay * ''San Carlos'' (32) Captain Don Firmin Urtizberea * ''San Rafael'' (30) Captain Don Luis Aranburu * ''Santa Teresa'' (28) Captain Don Jose J. de Mendizabal * ''San Bruno'' (26) Captain J. M. de Goicoechea * ''San Fermín'' (16) Captain J. Vin. Eloy Sanchez * ''San Vicente'' (10) Captain Don José de Ugalde

Merchants

* ''Nues. Señora de L'Oves'' * ''San Francisco'' * ''La Concepción'' * ''San Nicolás'' * ''San Jeronimo'' * ''Divinia Providencia'' * ''San Gavilán'' * ''San Pacora'' * ''San Lauren'' * ''La Providencia'' * ''La Bellona'' * ''Esperanza'' * ''Le Cidada de Mercia'' * ''La Amistad'' * ''San Miguel''

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *
The life and correspondence of the late Admiral Lord Rodney, Volume 1
By Godfrey Basil Mundy * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Action of 8 January 1780 Conflicts in 1780 Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving Great Britain Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1779–1783) Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War