Vigo Bay, Battle of

The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande (Spanish: Batalla de Rande), is a naval engagement fought on October 23, 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession.

The engagement follows an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval base in the Iberian Peninsula.

From this station, the Allies had hoped to conduct operations in the western Mediterranean Sea, particularly against the French at Toulon.

The amphibious assault, however, had proved a disaster, but as Admiral George Rooke retreats home in early October, he receives news that the Spanish treasure fleet from America, laden with silver and merchandise, has entered Vigo Bay in northern Spain.

Philips van Almonde convinces Rooke to attack the treasure ships, despite the lateness of the year and the fact that the vessels are protected by French ships-of-the-line.The engagement is an overwhelming naval success for the Allies: the entire French escort fleet, under the command of Château-Renault, together with the Spanish galleons and transports under Manuel de Velasco, have either been captured or destroyed.

Yet because most of the treasure had been off-loaded before the attack, capturing the bulk of the silver cargo has eluded Rooke.

Nevertheless, the victory is a welcome boost to Allied morale and helps persuade the Portuguese King, Peter II, to abandon his earlier treaty with the French, and join the Grand Alliance.

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