Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Moonlight Battle because it was unusual for naval battles in the Age of Sail to take place at night. It was also the first major naval victory for the British over their European enemies in the war and proved the value of copper-sheathing the hulls of warships.
The moonlight Battle off Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780, Francis Holman
Don Juan de Lángara, portrait by an unknown artist.
Admiral Sir George Rodney, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
La Battalla de Cabo de San Vincente, painted by an unknown Spanish artist.
George Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB, 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 the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. It is often claimed that he was the commander to have pioneered the tactic of breaking the line.
Admiral Rodney after the Battle of the Saintes, 1782, by Thomas Gainsborough. Behind is the French fleur de lys naval ensign from the captured Ville De Paris
The Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747.
Portrait of Rodney by Joshua Reynolds showing him after his appointment as a rear admiral in 1759.
George Brydges Rodney, by Joshua Reynolds in 1789