Battle of Cape Passaro

The Battle of Cape Passaro (also known as the Battle of Avola or the Battle of Syracuse) was a naval battle fought on 11–12 August 1718 between a Royal Navy fleet under AdmiralSir George Byng and a fleet of the Spanish Navy under Lieutenant-generalJosé Antonio de Gaztañeta. It was fought off Cape Passaro, in the southern tip of Sicily, which Spain had occupied. Spain and Britain were at peace, but Britain was already committed to supporting the ambitions of the Emperor Charles VI in southern Italy.

The battle was fought without a formal declaration of war but once the Spanish fired on the nearest British ships, this gave Byng his excuse to attack. The British were superior in numbers. The battle was the most significant naval action of the War of the Quadruple Alliance and resulted in a decisive victory for the British fleet, with the Spanish losing seven ships of the line and six frigates in a single day. Several more Spanish warships were scuttled by their crews off the Sicilian coast. The Spanish army in Sicily was isolated, and four months later the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally declared.