Battle of Cape Passaro

10^th August 1718 (30^th July 1718 O.S.)

	The British Fleet of Admiral Sir George Byng
	The Van Squadron of Vice-Admiral of the White Charles Cornwall
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Canterbury	60	George Walton
	Argyll	50	Coningsby Norbury
	Dreadnought	60	William Haddock
	Burford	70	Charles Vanbrugh
	Shrewsbury	80	John Balchen	Flagship
	Essex	70	Richard Rowzier
	Rippon	60	Christopher OBrien
	Success			Store ship, not in line
	Griffin	8		Fireship, not in line
	The Center Squadron of Admiral Sir George Byng
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Grafton	70	Nicholas Haddock
	Superbe	60	Strensham Master
	Lennox	70	Charles Strickland
	Barfleur	90	George Saunders	Flagship
	Bredah	70	Barrows Harris
	Rupert	60	Arthur Field
	Orford	70	Edward Falkingham
	Garland	8		Fireship, not in line
	Looe	42		Hospital Ship?, not in line
	Basilisk	8		Bomb vessel, not in line
				Bomb tender to Basilisk, not in line
	The Rear Squadron of Rear-Admiral of the Blue George Delavall
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Captain	70	Archibald Hamilton
	Dunkirk	60	Francis Drake
	Royal Oak	70	Thomas Kempthorne
	Dorsetshire	80	John Furzer	Flagship
	Kent	70	Thomas Mathews
	Montagu	60	Thomas Beverley
	Charles Galley	40	Philip Vanbrugh
	Rochester	50	Joseph Winder
	Blast	8		Bomb vessel, not in line
				Bomb tender to Blast, not in line
	The Spanish Fleet of Vice-Amiral Don Antonio Gaztanneta
	The Main Squadron
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Real San Felipe	74		Flagship
	Principe de Asturias	70		Flagship of Rear-Admiral Don Fernando Chacon
	San Pedro	70	Don Antonio Arrisago
	San Fernando	60		Flagship of Rear-Admiral George Cammock
	San Carlos	60	Principe de Chaley
	Santa Isabel	60	Don Andres Reggio
	Santa Rosa	60	Don Antonio Gonzalez
	Perla	60	Don Gabriel Alderete
	Volante	44	Don Antonio Escudero
	Juno	36	Don Pedro Moyana
	The Galley Squadron of Amiral Don F de Grimao (attached to the Main Squadron)
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Capitana			Galley
	Patrona			Galley
	Santa Teresa			Galley
	San Jenaro			Galley
	San Felipe			Galley
	San Fernando			Galley
	Soledad			Galley
	The Detached Squadron of Rear-Admiral Don Baltasar de Guevara (rejoined during the action)
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	San Luis	60		Flagship
	San Jaun Bautista	60	Don Francisco Guerrera
	The Rear Squadron of Rear-Admiral Marquis de Man
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Real Mari	60		Flagship
	Burladin	54
	San Isidro	46	Don Manuel Villavicentia
	Esperanza	46	Don J Deltino y Bariande
	Pingue Pintado	44
	Hermione	44
	Puerco Espin	44
	Sorpresa	36	Don Michael de Sada
	Galera	30	Don Rodrigo de Torres
	San Felipe	30	Don Francisco Lenio
	Conde de Tolosa	30	Don J Goccocea
	Tigre	26	M Cavaigne
	Aguila de Nantes	24	Don Lucas Masnata
	Leon	22
	San Fernando	20
	San Juanico	20	Don Ignacio Valevale
	Flecha	18	Don Juan Papagena
		10		Bomb Vessel
		10		Bomb Vessel
		10		Bomb Vessel
	Castilla			Fireship
	Leon			Fireship
				Ordinance store Ship
				Store Ship
				Store Ship
				Store Ship
				Settee

Description of the action from George Byng's journal

Note that anglisiced Spanish names have been replaced with the Spanish version i.e. St Charles by San Carlos

Early in the morning, on the thirtieth of July, as we were standing in for Messina, we saw two scouts of the Spanish fleet in the Faro, very near us; and, at the same time, a felucca, coming off from the Calabrian shore, assured us they saw from the hills the Spanish fleet lying by. Upon which the Admiral stood through the Fam after the scouts, judging they would lead us to their fleet; which they did; for, before noon, we had a fair sight of all their ships as they were drawing into line-of-battle.

On our approach, they went from us large, but in their order of battle, their fleet consisting of six and twenty men-of-war, great and small, two fireships, four bomb vessels, seven galleys, and several ships with stores and provisions.

The Admiral ordered the Kent, Superbe, Grafton, and Orford, being the best sailers in the fleet, to make what sail they could to come up with the Spaniards; and that the ships which could get headmost, and nearest to them, should carry the lights usually worn by the Admiral, that he might not lose sight of them in the night; while he made what sail he could, with the rest of the fleet, to keep up with them. It being little wind, the Spanish galleys towed their heaviest sailers all night.

The thirty-first, in the morning, as soon as it was day, they finding us pretty near up with their fleet, the galleys and smaller ships, with the fireships, bomb vessels, and storeships, separated from the admiral and bigger ships, and stood in for the shore: after whom the Admiral sent Captain Walton, in the Canterbury, with the Argyll and six ships more. As those ships were coming up with them, one of the Spaniards ' fired a broadside at the Argyll. The Admiral, seeing those ships engaged with the Spanish, which were making towards the shore, sent orders to Captain Walton to rendezvous, after the action, at Syracusa (where the Viceroy for the King of Sicily was, with a garrison). The like orders he despatched to the flags, and to as many ships as were within his reach, that place being defended against the Spaniards, and being the most proper port on that coast for the fleet to gather together again.

We held on our chase after the Spanish admiral, with three of his rear-admirals, and the biggest ships, which stayed by their flags till we came near them. The captains of the Kent, Superbe, Grafton, and Orford, having orders to make what sail they could to place themselves by the four headmost ships, were the first that came up with them. The Spaniards began, by firing their stern-chasers at them: but they, having orders not to fire unless the Spanish ships repeated their firing, made no return at first. But, the Spaniards firing again, the Orford attacked the Santa Rosa, which, some time after, she took. The San Carlos struck next without much opposition, and the Kent took possession of her. The Grafton attacked the Principe de Asturias, formerly called the Cumberland, in which was Rear-Admiral Chacon: but, the Bredah and Captain coming up, she left that ship for them to take, which they soon did; and stretched ahead after another sixty-gun ship, which was on her starboard while she was engaging the Principe de Asturias, and kept firing her stern-chase into the Grafton.

About one o'clock, the Kent and Superbe engaged the Spanish admiral, which, with two ships more, fired on them, and made a running fight until about three; when the Kent, bearing down upon her, and under her stern, gave her a broadside and went away to leeward of her. Then the Superbe, put for it, and laid the Spanish Admiral on board, falling on her weather quarter: "but the Spanish admiral shifting her helm and avoiding her, the Superbe ranged up under her lee quarter; on which she struck to her. At the same time, the Barfleur being within shot of the said Spanish admiral astern, inclining on her weather quarter, one of their rear-admirals," and another sixty-gun ship, which were to windward of the Barfleur, bore down and gave her their broadsides, and then clap'd upon a wind, standing in for the land. The Admiral, in the Barfleur, stood after them till it was almost night. But, it being little wind, and they galing from her out of reach, he left pursuing them, and stood away to the fleet again; which he joined two hours after night. The Essex took the Juno; the Montagu and Rupert took the Volante. Vice-Admiral Cornwall followed the Grafton to support her; but, it being very little wind and the night coming on, the Spaniard galed away from the Grafton.

Rear-Admiral Delavall, with the Royal Oak, chased two ships that went away more leewardly than the rest, (one of them said to be Rear-Admiral Cammock) but we, not having seen them since, know not the success. The ship which suffered most, with us, was the Grafton, the captain of which, though he had not the fortune to take any particular ship, yet was engaged with several, behaved himself very much like an officer and a seaman, and bid fair for stopping the way of those four ships that I pursued; who escaped, not through his fault, but failure of wind; and his own and rigging were much shattered.

Just now is returned one of the eight ships which the Admiral sent with Captain Walton to pursue those of Spain that went in with the shore, with a letter from that Captain, dated the fifth instant, giving an account that he, with the said ships, had taken one Spanish rear-admiral of sixty guns, one man-of-war of four and fifty, one of forty, which gave the Argyll the first broadside, one of four and twenty, one ship laden with arms, and one bomb-vessel; and had burnt one man-of-war of four and fifty guns, two of forty each, one of thirty, one fireship, one bomb-vessel, and one settee. At the writing of this letter, Captain Walton was making into Syracusa. The ship which brought this letter saw Rear-Admiial Delavall last night; who had taken the Santa Isabel, a ship of sixty guns, with which he was standing in likewise for Syracusa; to which place we are now going; and hope to get in there this night.

When the Admiral has joined the ships absent from the fleet, and which we judge are now in Syracusa with their prizes, he designs to send Vice-Admiral Cornwall, in the Argyll with seven or eight ships more, to carry the ships taken to Port Mahon, to be secured there till his Majesty's pleasure lie known. He will also put ashore, in Sicily, the Spanish admirals and commanding officers, with as many of the common prisoners as will not be necessary to help navigate the ships taken.

Description of the action by Marques de Beretti-Landi

On August 9th, in the morning, the English fleet was discovered off the tower of Faro. Towards night it lay by, off Cape della Metelle, opposite the tower in question. The Spanish fleet was at the time in the Strait, but was without the detachment commanded by Rear-Admiral Don Balthazar de Guevara, and some ships and frigates which had been sent to other places. As the intention of the English Admiral in thus approaching was unknown, the Spanish Admiral determined to quit the Strait, and to collect his forces off Cape Spartivento, taking with him his vessels laden with stores, his object being the better to prepare against the designs of the English, seeing that an officer who had been sent by Sir George Byng to the Marques de Lede had not returned. This officer had had orders to suggest to the Marques a suspension of hostilities for two months; but the Marques had replied that he could do nothing without directions from his Court. And although it was believed that a courier had been despatched with the suggestion to Madrid, the Spaniards were unwilling to risk a surprise from the English fleet, and a resort to such tactics as might be prompted by perfidy.

On the morning of the 10th, the English fleet advanced further into the Faro, and was saluted by all the Spanish ships and vessels lying there. It is to be here noted that although Admiral Byng had convoyed to Reggio some transports having on board troops of the Archduke, the officer who had been sent to the Marques de Lede declared that this was not for hostile purposes, but merely to secure from any insults the transports which were under his protection.

The Spanish fleet sent out two light frigates to reconnoitre the English fleet; and although these perceived that the English, whose designs were not understood, made all possible sail to close with the Spaniards, whose Admiral was ignorant whether the English came as friends or as enemies, yet the Spaniards, who were two leagues from the strangers, decided to withdraw towards Cape Passaro under easy sail, in order that there might be no pretence that they anticipated hostilities. Soon afterwards a calm supervened, and thus the ships of both fleets fell among one another; whereupon the Spanish Admiral, witnessing the danger, caused his ships of the line to be towed away from the English with a view to collecting them in one body. Vet he did not permit the galleys to commit any unfriendly act, such as they might have committed with advantage while it remained calm. When the Marques de Mari was near the land and was separated from his consorts in the rear and from the frigates and transports of his division, the weather changed, so that he strove in vain to regain the main body of the Spanish fleet. But the English, with dissimulation, held on their way, trimming their sails so as to secure the wind, and to cut off the Marquis de Man's division. When they had at length succeeded in this, they attacked him with six ships, forcing him to separate from the rest of the fleet and to retire towards the shore. As long as it was possible, the Marques defended himself against seven ships of the line, and, when he was no longer able to resist, he saved his people by running his vessels aground. Some of them were burnt under his own direction: others were taken by the enemy.

The rest of the English fleet, consisting of seventeen sail of the line, fell upon the Real San Felipe, Principe de Asturias, San Fernando, San Carlos, Santa Isabela, and San Pedro, and the frigates Santa Rosa, Perla, Juno, and Volante, which continued to make for Cape Passaro; and as, owing to their inferiority of force, they drew off in line, the English attacked their rearmost ship with four or five vessels, and cut her off. They did the same in succession with other ships, which, in spite of the fact that they made all the sail they could, were unable to avoid being captured. Thus, every Spanish vessel being separately fought by five, six, or seven of the enemy, the English finally subdued the Real San Felipe, Principe de Asturias, San Carlos, Santa Isabela, Santa Rosa, Volante, and Juno, though each offered a bloody and determined resistance.

While the Real San Felipe was engaged with the English, Rear-Admiral Don Balthazar de Guevara returned from Malta with two ships of the line, and, heading for the Real San Felipe, passed the English ships which were then alongside her, firing upon each. He then attacked such of Admiral Byng's vessels as followed the Real San Felipe. These, being very much damaged, drew off in the night, and, after the action, remained fifty leagues at sea for three or four days, not only to repair the Spanish ships which they had captured, and which were most severely mauled, but also to make good their own damages. Admiral Byng, therefore, could not enter Syracuse until August 16th or 17th, and then only with much difficulty.

After giving some account of the services of individual ships and captains, the account continues

Such is the story of the action off Abola, or the Gulf of I'Ariga, in the Malta Channel, between the Spanish and English fleets. The English ships, thanks to ill faith and superior strength, were able to beat the Spanish vessels singly, one by one : but it may be conceived, judging from the defence made by the latter, that, had they acted in unison, the battle might have ended more advantageously for them.

Immediately after the action, a captain of the English fleet, on behalf of Admiral Byng, arrived to make a complimentary excuse to the Marques de Lede, and to assure him that the Spaniards had been the aggressors, and that the battle ought not to be considered to constitute a rupture, seeing that the English did not take it as doing so. But it was replied that Spain, on the contrary, must hold it to constitute a formal rupture; and that the Spaniards would do the English all possible damage and ill, by ordering the commencement of reprisals. In pursuance of this, several Spanish vessels, and Don Guevara's division, have already seized certain English ships.

Notes:

• The British fleet is given in initial order of sailing, the Spanish fleet is given in order of size within their squadrons.
• The following Spanish Vessels were taken: Real San Felipe, Principe de Asturias San Carlos, Santa Isabel, Santa Rosa, Volante, Juno, Real Mari, San Isidro, Sorpresa, Tigre, Aguila de Nantes, an unidentified Bomb Vessel, an unidentified Ordinance store Ship and three unidentified store ships.
• The Real San Felipe was burnt by accident a few days later.
• The following Spanish Vessels were burnt either to avoid capture or in action: Burladin, Esperanza, Pingue Pintado, 2 unidentified bombs, an unidentified fireship and an unidentified sette.

Last Updated :2009/02/13 at 13:41:55 by Cy