On 16 January 1780, the Battle of Cape St. Vincent took place on the coast of Portugal. Often referred to as the Moonlight Battle, the battle started in the afternoon and lasted throughout the night. This was unusual at the time because, during the Age of Sail, a period of time from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century, it was irregular for naval battles to take place without sunlight. This was the first major naval victory the British had over the European forces during the American Revolutionary War.

The man who led the British fleet to victory, Admiral Sir George Rodney is famous for the victory he had during this battle. However, quite possibly his most notable feat during the American Revolutionary War was winning the 1782 Battle of the Saintes and thereby capturing the French admiral Comte de Grasse. The irony of this battle was the fact that the French fleet defeated here had previously been the one that successfully blockaded the British during Siege of Yorktown a year prior.

Sometimes the British are credited with creating the naval tactic of ‘breaking the line’, which is where ships pass through a gap in the enemy’s line, effectively attacking them from both sides, and throwing the enemy forces into disorder. However, this claim is somewhat controversial because Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter supposedly used this tactic for the first time during the Four Days’ Battle in 1666. Depending on how one studies history this tactic could have been created by either man in either century.

–David Orzel

Photo Credit: The Midnight Battle of Cape St. Vincent, by Francis Holman by Francis Holman (1780).
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Meet the Author: David Orzel

I am a first year student at Schoolcraft College. I plan on transferring to University of Michigan Dearborn in two years. In my free time I enjoy reading, drawing, listening to music, and playing guitar.