The Battle of Vigo Bay

 

23^rd October 1702

 

 

Preamble

Rooke steered for Vigo, dispatching ahead a couple of light ships which, on the night of October 9th, returned with confirmation of the news brought by Captain Hardy, and with further intelligence to the effect that the enemy lay in Hedondela Harbour. Early on the following morning, a vessel from Sir Clowdisley Shovell's squadron also came into the fleet, reporting that Sir Clowdisley was off Cape Finisterre and had orders to join the Commander-in-Chief. On the afternoon of October 11th, in hazy weather, Rooke entered the Bay and anchored off Vigo.

M. de Chateaurenault was not unprepared. Across the narrow mouth of Redondela Harbour he had drawn a boom of masts, yards, chains, cables and casks, of great strength. He had strongly anchored it; and, near each end of it, he had moored one of his largest men-of-war, the Bourbon at one end, and the Esperance at the other. Within the boom he had moored five other large men-of-war, with their broadsides bearing upon the entrance. Covering the southern shore end of the boom were a stone fort of ten guns and a heavy improvised battery or platform mounted with more guns. Covering the northern shore end was a battery of twenty guns. The remaining French ships and the Spanish galleons, lay much farther up; and, so long as the boom remained intact, they were well out of gunshot of the Allies. Indeed, the whole position was very strong.

Upon anchoring, Rooke again called a council of war, at which it was decided that, seeing that the whole fleet could not be advantageously employed in such narrow waters, a detachment only should be sent in, unless necessity should arise for the services of the whole force; and that in the meantime the troops should be landed to co-operate on the south side.

 

 

	The Anglo-Dutch Fleet
	The English Division of Vice-Admiral of the Red Thomas Hopsonn
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Mary	62	Edward Hopsonn
	Grafton	70	Thomas Harlow
	Torbay	80	Andrew Leake	Flagship
	Kent	70	John Jennings
	Monmouth	66	John Baker
	Phoenix	8		Fireship
	Vulture	8	Thomas lang	Fireship
	The Dutch Division of Vice-Admiral Philips van der Goes
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Dordrecht	72	Barend van der Pott
	Zeven Provincien	90	Starrenburgh	Flagship
	Veluwe	64
				Fireship
	The English Division of Rear-Admiral Stafford Fairburn
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Berwick	70	Richard Edwards
	Essex	70	John Hubbard
	Swiftsure	70	Robert Wynn
	Terrible	8	Edward Rumsey	Fireship
	Griffin	8	William Scaley	Fireship
	The English Division of Admiral George Rooke
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Ranelagh	80	Richard Fitzpatrick
	Somerset	80	Thomas Dilkes
	Bedford	70	Henry Haughton
	Hawk	8	Bennet Allen	Fireship
	Hunter	8	Sir Charles Rich	Fireship
	The Dutch Division of Rear-Admiral J.G van Wassenaar
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Slot Muyden		Schrijver
	Holland
	Unie	90		Flagship
	Reygersbergen		Lijnslager
				Fireship
	The English Division of Rear-Admiral of the Blue John Graydon
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Cambridge	80	Richard Lestock
	Northumberland	70	James Greenaway
	Orford	70	John Norris
	Pembroke	60	Thomas Hardy
	Lightning	8	Thomas Mitchell	Fireship
	The Dutch Division of Vice-Admiral Pieterson
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Gouda	64	Somelsiljik
	Alkmaar	74
	Catwyck		Boekman
				Fireship
	Ships engaging the Franco-Spanish forts
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Association	90
	Barfleur	90
	The Franco-Spanish Fleet
	French Squadron of Vice-Admiral Louis Francois de Rousselet, Comte de Chateaurenault
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Forte	76		Flagship
	Solide	56
	Prudent	60
	Oriflamme	64
	Dauphine	44
	Assure	60
	Prompt	70	de Beaujeu
	Ferme	66	Baffie
	Assurance	70	Aligre
	Esperance	70
	Bourbon	68	de Montbeau
	Superbe	70
	Modere	54	Autie
	Sirene	64
	Triton	42	Gouy
	Volontaire	46
	Entreprenant	24
	Merodes	8	Guarde Marine
	Favori	14	Delesealles	Fireship
	Spanish Squadron of Amiral Chacon
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Jesus Maria y Jose	70		Flagship
	Bufona	56
	Capitana de Assogos	56	Fernando Chacon
	Spanish Galleons
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Santo Christo de Mariacaia	40	Vicenti Alvares
	Santo Christo de Buen Vaije	36	Francisco Blanco
	Santa Cruz	36	Allonzo Ipparere
	Nostredam de Mercy	30	Cosmo Antonio Montag
	Santa Domingo	30	Michael Gamitee
	Trinidad		Ignatio Asconobritio
	Neustra Senora de Mercedes	12	Francisco Baragand
	San Juan de Babtista		Antonio Gomes de Auresia	Patache
	Philippo Quinto	8
	Jalashe del General		Juan Dungo
	Sacra Familia	12	Frebusia Bernardo de Vera
	Santa Cruz	30	Allonzo Lopes
	Santa Susanna	26	Martin Moguera
	Nuestra Senora de las Animas	44
	Nuestra Senora de las Angustias	24
	Nuestra Senora de las Dolores	31
	San Diego	12

 

Description of the action, taken from Clowes The Royal Navy Vol II

It was also determined at the council that, in order to encourage the men, all the flag-officers should accompany the attack, shifting, if requisite, their flags for the purpose; but it would appear that circumstances afterwards arose to render it desirable for Lieutenant-Admiral van Almonde to remain off Vigo. Rooke spent most of the night of October 11th in passing from ship to ship giving orders, and inspiriting his officers and men; and he certainly did all that lay in his power by such means to ensure the success of the operations on the following day.

Early in the morning of the 12th, the Duke of Ormonde, with two or three thousand men, was landed on the south side of the Bay, and, advancing to the eastward, ultimately took the land works at the south end of the boom. In the meantime, Sir George Rooke ordered the vessels which had been selected to make the attack, to weigh. They did so, forming line in the order given in the table; but when the van had approached within gunshot of the batteries, it fell calm, and they were obliged to re-anchor. Presently, however, a brisk breeze sprang up, whereupon the Torbay, which lay nearest to the enemy, immediately cut her cable, and, making all sail, bore up for the boom, under a heavy fire from the foe. The boom gave way at the first shock, and, passing within it, Vice-Admiral Hopsonn anchored between the Bourbon and the Esperance, and resolutely engaged both of them. The other ships of his division, and the ships of the division of Vice-Admiral van der Goes, had weighed when Hopsonn cut. They came in line abreast upon the remnants of the boom, which, because it was less rigid than at first, and because the briskness of the breeze had temporarily died away, brought them up, and obliged them to laboriously hack their passage through it. But, when the breeze freshened once more, the Zeven Provincien found her way to the opening which the Torbay had made, and laid herself on board the Bourbon, which she soon forced to strike.

Vice-Admiral Hopsonn, who for some time had had a formidable opponent on each side of him, and had been practically alone, was somewhat relieved by the capture of the Bourbon; but he was still in a perilous situation, for he was attacked by a vessel which the French had improvised as a fireship, and he soon found his rigging in flames. It chanced that this vessel was laden with snuff; and when at length she blew up, although she did a great amount of damage, her cargo was thrown in such dense masses over the Torbay that it had the effect of partially extinguishing the fire. Hopsonn was further relieved by the covering fire of the Association, which had by that time brought her broadside to bear upon the land works on the north side; yet the Torbay, which had lost one hundred and fifteen men, killed or drowned, was so battered and burnt as to be almost helpless. The Vice-Admiral had subsequently to transfer his flag to the Monmouth, which entered the harbour when the fight was nearly over.

After the action had lasted for little more than half an hour, M. de Chateaurenault found his landworks on the south side carried, his boom cut to pieces, his fireship expended in vain, the Bourbon taken, and the allied fleet pouring in upon him: and, despairing of being able to make any further resistance, he ordered his captains to burn their ships, and himself set them the example. Owing, however, to the confusion and haste, the directions were not in every case carried out, and, as may be seen on reference to the table above, many ships fell into the hands of the English and Dutch. Most of the officers and men got ashore and escaped; but about four hundred fell into the hands of the victors; and among these were the Marquis de la Galissonniere, the captains of the Assure and the Volontaire, and the Spanish admiral, Don Jose Checon. The victory was most crushing, every vessel in Redonela Harbour being either taken or destroyed. Nor was it a very bloody triumph. The Torbay was the only ship of the Allies that suffered heavy loss. The other ships together seem to have lost not more than a dozen killed or wounded; and the French were little worse off. The glory of the day undoubtedly lay largely with Vice-Admiral Hopsonn, who, for his gallantry and great services, was knighted by the Queen on November 29th following, and afterwards granted a pension of 500 a year, with a reversion of 300 a year to his wife, in case she should survive him. His officers and men were also specially rewarded.

The treasure and booty taken were of enormous value, the flotilla of galleons having been the richest which had ever reached Europe from the West Indies. Some of the lading had been removed before the action; but it was estimated that gold, silver and cargo, to the value of thirteen million pieces of eight, fell into the hands of the victors or were destroyed.

 

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