Spanish ship San Agustín
Encyclopedia
The San Agustín was a 74-gun ship of the line
built at the royal shipyard in Guarnizo (Santander) and launched in 1768.
She was captured by Portugal
in 1776, but returned the following year.
In January 1780, during the American War of Independence, she was part of a squadron of 11 of the line under command of Admiral Don Juan de Lángara
left on patrol off Cape St. Vincent to intercept an expected British
convoy for Gibraltar
. But when the British fleet under Sir George Rodney appeared, it greatly outnumbered the Spanish squadron with 18 ships of the line. The result was the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
, off the stormy, dark cliffs of Cape Santa María through the afternoon and evening of 16 January 1780. Six Spanish ships of the line were captured and one destroyed. The San Agustín and San Genaro were the only Spanish ships of the line to escape unscathed.
During the Napoleonic wars, she fought at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805.
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
built at the royal shipyard in Guarnizo (Santander) and launched in 1768.
She was captured by Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1776, but returned the following year.
In January 1780, during the American War of Independence, she was part of a squadron of 11 of the line under command of Admiral Don Juan de Lángara
Juan de Lángara
Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte was a Spanish naval officer and Minister of Marine.-Life and career:He was born at Coruña, Galicia, the son of a renowned Basque family...
left on patrol off Cape St. Vincent to intercept an expected British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
convoy for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. But when the British fleet under Sir George Rodney appeared, it greatly outnumbered the Spanish squadron with 18 ships of the line. The result was the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
The naval Battle of Cape St Vincent, took place off the coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American War of Independence. A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Moonlight Battle,...
, off the stormy, dark cliffs of Cape Santa María through the afternoon and evening of 16 January 1780. Six Spanish ships of the line were captured and one destroyed. The San Agustín and San Genaro were the only Spanish ships of the line to escape unscathed.
During the Napoleonic wars, she fought at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805.