| Battle of Málaga | |||||||
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| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
 The Battle of Malaga by Isaac Sailmaker. Oil on canvas, 1704. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 [1] Kingdom of France |
 Kingdom of England |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Comte de Toulouse |
George Rooke | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50 warships 6 frigates (3,577 guns) 24,275 men |
53 ships of the line 6 frigates 7 fireships (3,614 guns) 22,543 men |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,600 dead or wounded | 2,700 dead or wounded | ||||||
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The Battle of Málaga (or Vélez-Málaga) was the largest naval battle in the War of the Spanish Succession. It took place on 24 August 1704, south of Málaga, Spain.
The battle
Less than a week after the Capture of Gibraltar, Admiral George Rooke received intelligence that a French fleet under the command of Toulouse and d'Estrées was approaching Gibraltar. Leaving half his marines to defend the newly won prize, Rooke immediately set off with his combined English-Dutch fleet to engage the French.
The outcome of the action that followed, the Battle of Vélez-Málaga, was indecisive. Not a single vessel was sunk or captured on either side but the mutual battering left many ships barely seaworthy and casualties on both sides were high.
Byng's squadron, having expended so much ammunition in the previous bombardment of Gibraltar, was obliged to quit the line.
During the following day, the French kept their distance. On the next morning, the French fleet was nowhere to be seen. Rooke was fearful that it might have gone ahead of him to Gibraltar. In fact, the French had returned to Toulon claiming a great naval victory. The reality was, however, that by retreating to Toulon the French turned what had been a tactical stalemate into an Allied strategic victory, because after the Battle of Vélez-Málaga the French Navy never again emerged from port in full strength.
Ships involved
England/Netherlands (George Rooke)
(90-gunners and above were 3-deckers)
Vanguard
- Prince George (96, flag of Vice-Admiral Sir John Leake, Captain Stephen Martin)
- Newark (80, Captain Richard Clarke)
- Boyne (80, Captain James Berkeley)
- Norfolk (80, Captain John Knapp)
- Yarmouth (70, Captain Jasper Hicks)
- Berwick (70, Captain Robert Fairfax)
- Namur (96, Captain Christopher Myngs)
- Barfleur (96, flag of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Captain James Stuart)
- Warspite (70, Captain Edmund Loades)
- Orford (70, Captain John Norris)
- Swiftsure (70, Captain Robert Wynn)
- Lennox (70, Captain William Jumper)
- Assurance (66, Captain Robert Hancock)
- Nottingham (60, Captain Samuel Whitaker)
- Tilbury (50, Captain George Delaval)
- Garland (50, Captain Henry Hobart)
Centre
- Royal Katherine (90, flag of Admiral Sir George Rooke, Captain John Fletcher)
- St George (96, Captain John Jennings)
- Shrewsbury (80, Captain Josias Crowe)
- Grafton (70, Captain Sir Andrew Leake)
- Nassau (70, Captain Francis Dove)
- Eagle (70, Captain Lord Archibald Hamilton)
- Monmouth (70, Captain John Baker)
- Montagu (60, Captain William Cleveland)
- Panther (50, Captain Peregrine Bertie)
- Kent (70, flag of Rear-Admiral Thomas Dilkes, Captain Jonas Hanway)
- Cambridge (80, Captain Richard Lestock)
- Royal Oak (76, Capt. Gerard Elwes)
- Bedford (70, Captain Sir Thomas Hardy)
- Suffolk (70, Captain Robert Kirkton)
- Burford (70, Capt. Kerryll Roffey)
- Monck (60, Captain James Mighells)
- Swallow (50, Captain Richard Haddock)
- Ranelagh (80, flag of Rear-Admiral Georg Byng, Captain John Cowe)
- Somerset (80, Captain John Price)
- Dorsetshire (80, Captain Edward Whitaker)
- Torbay (80, Captain William Caldwell)
- Essex (70, Captain John Hubbard)
- Le Ferme (70, ex-French, Captain Baron Wyld)
- Kingston (60, Captain Edward Acton)
- Triton (50, ex-French, Captain Tudor Trevor)
- Centurion (50, Captain John Herne)
Rear
The rear division comprised the Dutch element of the Anglo-Dutch fleet.
- Graaf van Albemarle (64, flag of Lieutenant-Admiral Gerard Callenburgh) - blew up on 27 August on the way back to Gibraltar.
- Unie (90, flag of Vice-Admiral J. G. van Wassenaer)
- Gelderland (72, Capt. P. Schrijver)
- Dordrecht (72, Capt. van der Pot)
- Katwijk (72, Capt. J. C. Ockersse)
- Wapen van Vriesland (64, Capt. C. Middagten)
- Wapen van Utrecht (64, Capt. Bolck)
- Bannier (64, Capt. J. W. van Ghent)
- Leeuw (64)
- Vlissingen (64)
- Nijmegen (54, Capt. H. Lijnslager)
- Damiaten (52)
Others
- Five frigates
- Larke (40, Captain Charles Fotherby)
- Roebuck (40, Cptain Thomas Kempthorne)
- Charles Galley (32, Captain Joseph Taylor)
- Tartar (32, Captain John Cooper)
- Newport (24, Captain George Paddon)
- Two (bomb)s
- Hare
- Terror (Captain Isaac Cook)
- Seven fireships
- Two hospital ships
- Princess Anne (Cmdr. Charles Guy)
- Jefferies (Cmdr. Thomas Robinson)
- One yacht
- William and Mary (Cmdr. John Robinson)
Total
3614 guns, 22543 men
France (Toulouse and d'Estrées)
- Sérieux (70, Chamelin)
- Foudroyant (104, flagship of Toulouse)
Vanguard
- Fier (flag of VA de Villette Mursay)
- Excellence
- Sage
- Intrépide (Jean du Casse)
- ? (Sainte-Maure)
Centre
Rear
- ? (flag of RA de Langeron)
- others
Others
- 6 frigates
- 6 fireships
- 28 large galleys
- 5 tenders
Total
3577 guns, 24275 men
References
- ^ George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana, The American Cyclopaedia, New York, 1874, p. 250, "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis...". *[1]The original Banner of France was strewn with fleurs-de-lis. *[2]:on the reverse of this plate it says: "Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix-huitième siecle...Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal (blanc, avec les armes de France)."[3] from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs-de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour."
External links
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