Battle of Cádiz (1656)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cádiz was an operation in the Anglo–Spanish War (1654-1660)
in which an English fleet destroyed and captured a Spanish treasure fleet
off Cádiz.
After the ending of the Anglo-Dutch War
, Oliver Cromwell
turned his attention to England's traditional enemy, Spain. He was seeking a return to a policy of attacks on Spanish trade and shipping routes, whose success in the time Elizabeth I
had acquired a legendary status.
In 1655, Robert Blake
had blockaded the port of Cádiz in the hope of intercepting the treasure fleet but it had remained in the Americas.
In the following year the treasure fleet set out under the command of Marcos del Puerto and in September 1656 an English squadron under Captain Richard Stayner detected and intercepted it off the Spanish coast.
The attack occurred just in front of the coast of Cádiz
. The English sank two Spanish ships, burnt two and captured two others, including the riches they carried. The remaining two ships reached the harbour. The financial blow sustained from this attack, the most serious suffered in the war by the Spanish, was estimated at £2,000,000. One of the many Spanish casualties was Francisco López de Zúñiga, 2nd Marquis of Baides, former Royal Governor of Chile, as well as his wife and one of his daughters.
Spanish
Anglo-Spanish War (1654)
The Anglo-Spanish War was a conflict between the English Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell and Spain, between 1654 and 1660. It was caused by commercial rivalry. Each side attacked the other's commercial and colonial interests in various ways such as privateering and naval expeditions. In 1655, an...
in which an English fleet destroyed and captured a Spanish treasure fleet
Spanish treasure fleet
The Spanish treasure fleets was a convoy system adopted by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to 1790...
off Cádiz.
After the ending of the Anglo-Dutch War
First Anglo-Dutch War
The First Anglo–Dutch War was the first of the four Anglo–Dutch Wars. It was fought entirely at sea between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Caused by disputes over trade, the war began with English attacks on Dutch merchant shipping, but...
, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
turned his attention to England's traditional enemy, Spain. He was seeking a return to a policy of attacks on Spanish trade and shipping routes, whose success in the time Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
had acquired a legendary status.
In 1655, Robert Blake
Robert Blake (admiral)
Robert Blake was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake is recognised as the chief founder of England's naval supremacy, a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy into...
had blockaded the port of Cádiz in the hope of intercepting the treasure fleet but it had remained in the Americas.
In the following year the treasure fleet set out under the command of Marcos del Puerto and in September 1656 an English squadron under Captain Richard Stayner detected and intercepted it off the Spanish coast.
The attack occurred just in front of the coast of Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. The English sank two Spanish ships, burnt two and captured two others, including the riches they carried. The remaining two ships reached the harbour. The financial blow sustained from this attack, the most serious suffered in the war by the Spanish, was estimated at £2,000,000. One of the many Spanish casualties was Francisco López de Zúñiga, 2nd Marquis of Baides, former Royal Governor of Chile, as well as his wife and one of his daughters.
Ships involved
English- Speaker (64) (Richard Stayner)
- TredaghHMS Resolution (1654)The ship which became the first HMS Resolution was a 50-gun Third rate frigate built under the 1652 Programme for the navy of the Commonwealth of England by Sir Phineas Pett at Ratcliffe, and launched in 1654 under the name Tredagh .After the...
(56) (John Harman) - PlymouthHMS Plymouth (1653)HMS Plymouth was a 52-gun third-rate frigate, built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England and launched at Wapping in 1653. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 60 guns....
(54) - BridgewaterHMS Anne (1654)Bridgewater was a 52-gun third rate frigate built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Deptford, and launched in 1654.After the Restoration in 1660, her name was changed to HMS Anne. She was accidentally blown up in 1673....
(52) - Diamond (60) (Gilbert Gott)
- two more ships
Spanish
- San Francisco y San Diego (Capitana) (26) (Marcus del Puerto) : escaped
- San Francisco Javier (Almiranta) (30) (Francisco de Esquivel) : set itself on fire and exploded
- Victoria (Galleon) (20) (Juan Rodriguez Calderón) : set itself on fire and sank
- Jesus, Maria y Jose (Galleon) (28) (Juan de Hoyos) : captured
- Profeta Elias (Merchantman) (26) (Juan de la Torre) : captured
- Rosario (Merchantman) (24) (José de Paredes) : beached
- Patache (José de Pimienta) beached
- Captured Portuguese merchantman : escaped