The Action of 9 August 1780 is a naval engagement of the Anglo-Spanish War, in which a Spanish fleet, led by Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova, along with a squadron of French ships, encountera a large British convoy.]
The Spanish and French force capture almost all the British vessels, which deals a severe blow to the commerce of Great Britain.
The British convoy, led by Sir John Moutray, captain of HMS Ramillies and three frigates, had sailed from Portsmouth on July 27.
On August 9, they encounter the Spanish fleet.
The Spaniards capture fifty-two of fifty-five British vessels, making it one of the most complete naval captures ever made.
The British lose eighty thousand muskets, equipment for forty thousand troops, two hundred and ninety-four cannons (the normal British troop size during the American Independence War is forty thousand troops), and three thousand one hundred and forty-four men.
The financial impact of the losses are estimated to be around £1,500,000 (£1,000,000 in gold and £500,000 – £600,000 in equipment and ships).
The action also helps to derail a secret British diplomatic effort to make peace with Spain.
The loss will still be bitterly remembered in Great Britain thirty years later, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars.
