Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Cape Finisterre
Part of the Trafalgar campaign of the War of the Third Coalition
Admiral Sir Robert Calder's action off Cape Finisterre, 23 July 1805, William Anderson
Date 22 July 1805 Location Off Cape Finisterre, Atlantic Ocean 42°53′39″N 9°16′16″W / 42.8941°N 9.2711°W / 42.8941; -9.2711 Result See aftermath
Belligerents
United Kingdom	France Spain
Commanders and leaders
Robert Calder	Pierre de Villeneuve Federico Gravina
Strength
15 ships of the line 2 frigates 1 lugger 1 cutter	20 ships of the line 7 frigates
Casualties and losses
198 killed and wounded	647 killed and wounded 1,200 captured 2 ships of the line captured

The Battle of Cape Finisterre happened on July 22, 1805. It was a naval battle fought off the coast of Galicia, Spain. The British fleet, led by Admiral Robert Calder, faced a combined fleet of French and Spanish ships. This combined fleet was returning from the West Indies.

The battle did not have a clear winner. Admiral Calder failed to stop the French fleet from joining other French ships. He also didn't deliver a decisive blow that would have protected Great Britain from invasion. Because of this, Calder was later put on trial and criticized for his actions. He was also blamed for not continuing the fight on July 23 and 24. Meanwhile, the French Admiral Villeneuve decided not to sail to Brest. If he had, his fleet could have joined other French ships to clear the English Channel. This would have allowed Napoleon to invade Great Britain.

Why the Battle Happened

A short period of peace, called the Peace of Amiens, ended in 1803. Napoleon, the leader of France, wanted to invade and conquer Britain. He had a large army of 150,000 soldiers ready at Boulogne. If this army could cross the English Channel, they would likely win against Britain's less trained forces.

Napoleon's plan was for the French navy to escape from British blockades. A blockade is when enemy ships surround a port to stop other ships from leaving or entering. The French navy would pretend to attack the West Indies. This would draw the British navy away from the English Channel. The French and Spanish fleets would then meet in Martinique. After that, they would sail back to Europe. Their goal was to land troops in Ireland to start a rebellion. Then, they would defeat the weaker British patrols in the Channel. Finally, they would help transport Napoleon's army across the Straits of Dover to invade Britain.

The Fleets Set Sail

Villeneuve left Toulon with eleven ships of the line, six frigates, and two brigs. These were different types of warships. He avoided Admiral Nelson's British fleet. Villeneuve then sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar on April 8. At Cádiz, he met six Spanish ships of the line. The combined fleet then sailed to the West Indies, arriving at Martinique on May 12.

Nelson's British fleet of ten ships reached Antigua on June 4. Villeneuve waited at Martinique for another French fleet from Brest to join him. However, that fleet remained blocked in its port. French army officers asked Villeneuve to attack British colonies. He only recaptured the island fort of Diamond Rock. On June 4, he left Martinique. On June 7, he learned that Nelson had arrived. By June 11, Villeneuve decided to leave for Europe. He had not achieved any of his goals in the Caribbean.

Journey Back to Europe

On their way back, the combined fleet captured a British convoy. This was a group of merchant ships protected by warships. They also recaptured a Spanish ship, the Matilda, which was carrying a large treasure. The journey across the Atlantic was very difficult. Spanish Admiral Gravina said it was one of the hardest he had experienced. Some ships were damaged, and the crews were tired. They also had little food. On July 22, the combined fleet finally saw land near Cape Finisterre.

The Battle Begins

The fleets line up for battle, painting by William Anderson

Defiance, Windsor Castle, Prince of Wales, Repulse, Raisonable, and Glory, an engraving after Thomas Whitcombe

Calder’s ship the ‘'Prince of Wales’' in the foreground, his fleet subdued in the patchy fog, by William Anderson

Admiral Robert Calder received news of the returning French fleet on July 19. He was ordered to stop blocking the ports of Rochefort and Ferrol. Instead, he was to sail to Cape Finisterre to stop Villeneuve. The two fleets saw each other around 11:00 AM on July 22.

After several hours of moving into position, the battle started around 5:15 PM. The British fleet, led by the ship Hero, attacked the Franco-Spanish line of battle. The weather was foggy, making it hard to see. The battle quickly became a confused fight, known as a melee.

Malta's Fight

The British ship Malta, commanded by Sir Edward Buller, found itself surrounded by five Spanish ships. This happened because of the poor visibility and fog. The Malta fought fiercely, firing its cannons from both sides. After a tough fight, the Malta forced the Spanish ship San Rafael to surrender. Then, the Malta's smaller boats took control of another Spanish ship, the Firme.

Around 8:25 PM, Admiral Calder signaled his fleet to stop fighting. He planned to continue the battle the next day. However, in the darkness and confusion, some ships kept firing for another hour.

The Next Day

On July 23, the fleets were about 27 kilometers (17 miles) apart. Calder did not want to attack again because the enemy had more ships. He also had to protect his damaged ships, Windsor Castle and Malta, along with the two captured Spanish ships. He worried that other French fleets might leave their blockaded ports and join Villeneuve. So, Calder decided not to attack. He sailed northeast with his captured ships.

Villeneuve later said he wanted to attack at first. But the winds were very light, and it took all day to get close to the British. He decided not to risk fighting late in the day. On July 24, the wind changed, giving the Franco-Spanish fleet a better position for attack. But instead of attacking, Villeneuve turned south. When he reached A Coruña on August 1, he received orders from Napoleon to go straight to Brest. However, he might have believed a false report about a larger British fleet nearby. So, he returned to Cádiz, arriving on August 21.

What Happened After

The Battle of Cape Finisterre was not a clear victory for either side. Both Admiral Villeneuve and Admiral Calder claimed they had won. The British lost 39 men killed and 159 wounded. The French and Spanish lost 476 men killed and wounded, and 1,200 were captured. Two of their ships were also captured.

Admiral Calder was removed from his command. He was put on trial and strongly criticized for not continuing the battle on July 23 and 24. He never served at sea again. Villeneuve did not go to Brest. He went to Vigo for repairs, then to Coruña, and finally to Cadiz.

Villeneuve's decision to go to Cadiz ruined Napoleon's hopes of invading England. Napoleon was very frustrated with Villeneuve. He had to give up his plan to invade Britain. Instead, his army, now called the Grande Armée, left Boulogne on August 27. They went to fight against Austria and Russia. A few weeks after the battle, Napoleon wrote: "Gravina is all genius and decision in combat. If Villeneuve had had those qualities, the battle of Finisterre would have been a complete victory."

Villeneuve and the combined fleets stayed at Cádiz. They later sailed out and were destroyed at the famous Battle of Trafalgar on October 21.

"If Admiral Villeneuve, instead of entering Ferrol, had contented himself with rallying at the Spanish squadron, and had sailed for Brest to join Admiral Gantheaume, my army would have landed; it would have been all over with England."

Ships in the Battle

British Fleet

• Admiral Calder had fifteen ships of the line (Prince of Wales, Glory, Barfleur, Windsor Castle, Malta, Thunderer, Hero, Repulse, Defiance, Ajax, Warrior, Dragon, Triumph, Agamemnon, and Raisonnable), two frigates (Egyptienne and Sirius), and two smaller vessels.

Franco-Spanish Fleet

• Villeneuve had twenty ships of the line (six Spanish: Argonauta, Terrible, América, España, San Rafael, Firme; fourteen French: Pluton, Mont Blanc, Atlas, Berwick, Neptune, Bucentaure, Formidable, Intrépide, Scipion, Swiftsure, Indomptable, Aigle, Achille, and Algésiras) with seven frigates, and two brigs, one of which was Furet.

(according to Juan Ramón Viana Villavicencio)

Ship	Fleet	Casualties		Damage
		Dead	Wounded	Rigging	Masts and spars	Hull and others
Argonauta (80), Flagship of Lieutenant-General Federico Gravina, Flag-Captain Rafael de Hore		6	5	Mizzen and fore masts knocked down	Cutwater torn down
Terrible (74), Commander Francisco Vázquez de Mondragón		1	7	Much torn	Two cannons dismounted, slide ripped off, one shot flotation high
América (64), Comm. Juan Darrac		5	13	All masts bullet-riddled	60 shots
España (64), Comm. Bernardo Muñoz		5	23	Much torn	Mizzen mast down, several spars	Rudder partly obliterated, some damage in hull
San Rafael (80), Comm. Francisco de Montes (captured)		41	97	All torn	Utterly dismantled	Bullet riddled
Firme (74), Comm. Rafael de Villavicencio (captured)		35	60	All torn	Fully dismantled	Shot riddled
Pluton (74), Comm. Cosmao-Kerjulien		14	24
Mont Blanc (74), Comm. Guillaume-Jean-Noël de Lavillegris  (DOW)		5	16
Atlas (74), Comm. Pierre-Nicolas Rolland		15	52	Captain Rolland wounded
Berwick (74), Comm. Jean-Gilles Filhol de Camas		3	11
Neptune (80), Comm. Esprit-Tranquille Maistral		3	9
Bucentaure (80), Flagship of Adm. Villeneuve, Comm. Jean-Jacques Magendie		5	5
Formidable (80), Flagship of Rear-Admiral Dumanoir, Comm. Letellier		6	8
Intrépide (74), Comm. Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet		7	9
Scipion (74), Comm. Charles Berrenger		0	0
Swiftsure (74), Comm. Charles-Eusèbe Lhospitalier de la Villemadrin		0	0
Indomptable (80), Comm. Jean Joseph Hubert		1	1
Aigle (74), Comm. Pierre-Paulin Gourrège		6	0
Achille (74), Comm. Louis-Gabriel Deniéport		0	0
Algésiras (74), Flagship of Rear-Admiral Charles René Magon de Médine, Comm. Gabriel-Auguste Brouard		0	0
Cornélie (44),
Rhin (44), Comm. Michel-Jean-André Chesneau
Didon (40), Comm. Pierre-Bernard Milius
Hortense (40), Comm. Delamarre de Lamellerie
Hermione (40), Comm. Jean-Michel Mahé
Sirène (40),
Thémis (40),

See also

In Spanish: Batalla del cabo Finisterre para niños

• Ferrol Spanish Capital of the Maritime Department of the North (1788 AD).