Battle of Velez-Málaga
| date | August 24, 1704 |
|---|---|
| place | Near Vélez-Málaga , southern Spain |
| output | draw |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 51 ships of the line 3,600 cannons |
51 ships of the line 3,600 cannons |
| losses | |
|
2,700 dead |
1,600 dead |
Carpi - Chiari - Cremona - Kaiserswerth - Luzzara - Cádiz - Friedlingen - Vigo - Schmidmühlen - Ekeren - Höchstädt (1703) - Gibraltar - Speyerbach - Schellenberg - Bonn - Höchstädt (1704) - Vélez-Málaga - Cassano - Barcelona (1705) - Sendlinger Murder Christmas - Calcinato - Ramillies - Turin - Castiglione - Almansa - Toulon - Lille - Oudenaarde - Malplaquet - Almenara - Saragossa - Brihuega - Villaviciosa - Denain - Rio de Janeiro - Barcelona
The Battle of Vélez-Málaga took place on August 24, 1704, south of Vélez-Málaga , and was the largest naval battle of the War of the Spanish Succession .
Course of the battle
Less than a week after the capture of Gibraltar , Admiral George Rooke received news that a French fleet under the command of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon and Victor-Marie d'Estrées was approaching Gibraltar. Rooke left half of his Royal Marines there for security and sought battle with the enemy with his united Dutch - English fleet. Rooke won the windward side and went with his fleet on a parallel course to the enemy. An artillery duel followed without any tactical maneuvers. The battle brought no decision. No ships were lost; however, the damage and loss figures were high. There were between 2,000 and 3,000 deaths on both sides.
George Byng's squadron had to pull out of line as it had fired a lot of ammunition in the bombing of Gibraltar.
The next day the French fleet stayed at a distance and disappeared the next morning. Rooke feared she'd sailed to Gibraltar before him. But the French had returned to Toulon and were claiming a great victory. In reality, the return of the French to Toulon turned a draw into a strategic victory for the English, as the French navy did not leave their port in full strength after the battle.
literature
- Helmut Pemsel : Seeherrschaft - A maritime world history from steam navigation to the present , Vol. 1, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1994, ISBN 3-89350-711-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helmut Pemsel : Seeherrschaft - A maritime world history from steam navigation to the present , Vol. 1. Koblenz 1994. Page 272.