Battle of the Gulf of Cadiz (1604) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of the Gulf of Cádiz (1604)
Part of the Anglo–Spanish War
Monument to Antonio de Oquendo in Donostia
Date 7 August 1604 Location Gulf of Cádiz Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Spain	England
Commanders and leaders
Antonio de Oquendo	Unknown
Strength
2 galleons	1 galleon 1 fusta
Casualties and losses
1 galleon damaged	1 galleon captured 1 fusta damaged 100 dead and wounded

The Battle of the Gulf of Cádiz was a naval fight that happened on August 7, 1604. It took place during the final days of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). In this battle, two Spanish ships, led by Antonio de Oquendo, fought against two English privateers. Privateers were like legal pirates, allowed by their government to attack enemy ships. These English privateers were raiding ships and towns near the Gulf of Cádiz. The Spanish won the battle. They captured one English ship and damaged the other. This battle is interesting because it happened just 21 days before the Treaty of London was signed. This treaty officially ended the long war between England and Spain.

Spanish Ships at Lisbon

In early 1604, a young Spanish officer named Antonio de Oquendo was given an important job. At 27 years old, he became the commander of a small group of two galleons. Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships used for war and trade. His ships were based in Lisbon, a major port city. His boss was Luis Fajardo, who was the Captain General of the Spanish Ocean Fleet.

Antonio's father, Miguel de Oquendo, had also been a famous fleet commander. Sadly, his father died in 1588 when his ship sank. This happened after a difficult campaign with the Armada Invencible, a large Spanish fleet.

The main goal for Antonio's small group of ships was to stop privateers. These privateers were from the Netherlands, England, and Morocco. They were attacking shipping lanes, which are the paths ships take across the ocean. These attacks happened along the western coasts of Spain and Portugal. Oquendo's squadron had two main ships: the Delfín de Escocia, which was his main ship, and the slightly smaller Dobladilla.

In July 1604, people who traded by sea and villagers along the coasts of Portugal and Andalusia reported many attacks. Two privateer ships were looting and attacking other vessels. The main privateer ship was very large, about 500 tons. The other warship was smaller and called a fusta, which is a light, fast ship. Oquendo's ships left Lisbon on July 15 to find these enemy ships.

The Battle Begins

Oquendo's Spanish ships searched the waters for more than 20 days. They looked near Cape St. Vincent, Cape Santa María, and Cádiz. But they found nothing. Then, on August 7, at dawn, they finally spotted the two enemy ships. They were in the Gulf of Cádiz, between the Spanish ships and the shore. The Spanish quickly realized they were English privateers.

Suddenly, the larger English privateer ship moved closer. It then hooked onto Oquendo’s main ship, the Delfín de Escocia. About 100 English sailors boarded the Spanish ship. For two hours, there was intense fighting. Oquendo and his crew fought hard to push back the attackers. Many people on both sides were killed or wounded. Most of the fighting was done with swords and other blade weapons. Spanish reports say that Oquendo’s men even threw some of the English attackers overboard.

The English privateer tried to unhook its ship and escape. But Oquendo led his crew in a counter-attack. They boarded the English ship and forced its commander to give up. Meanwhile, the other English ship, the fusta, had been badly hit by the guns of the Dobladilla. It quickly sailed away and could not be caught. After the battle, Oquendo's main ship was heavily damaged. It sailed to Cascais with the Dobladilla and the captured English ship for repairs.

After the Fight

While the ships were being repaired at Cascais, some people who didn't like Captain General Fajardo started rumors. They said that Oquendo's squadron had suffered a terrible defeat. But all these doubts disappeared when Oquendo arrived in Lisbon. He received a hero's welcome.

Captain General Luis Fajardo and King Philip III sent Oquendo letters to congratulate him. This battle marked the start of a very successful naval career for Oquendo. He also made a list of the captured English sailors and handed their commander over to the authorities. As a reward, Oquendo was given the captured privateer ship as a prize. After this victory, the sea routes between Lisbon and Cádiz were safe from enemy warships for a long time.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla Naval del Golfo de Cádiz 1604 para niños