The battle of Cape Finisterre was a A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. Most naval battles have occurred at sea, but a few have taken place on lakes or rivers. The French battleship Orient burns, 1 August 1798, during the Battle of the Nile Although the nature of the ships... naval battle of the In the Napoleonic Wars, the Third Coalition against Napoléon emerged in 1805, and consisted of an alliance of Britain, Austria, Russia, Naples, and Sweden against France. The coalition, seeking to take advantage of the concentration of Napoléons forces in the north for an invasion of Britain made... War of the Third Coalition in the The Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1804 until 1815. They were a continuation of the conflicts sparked by the French Revolution and covered the duration of the First French Empire. The First and Second Coalitions For a more detailed account see the French Revolutionary Wars. The First Coalition (1792-1797) of... Napoleonic Wars, fought on July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. Events 1499 - Battle of Dornach - The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. 1587 - Colony of Roanoke: A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke... 22 July Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. February 15 - Harmony Society officially formed March 1 - Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate April 27 - United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The Shores of Tripoli). May 26 - In Milans cathedral... 1805 off Position of Cape Finisterre on the Iberian Peninsula Cape Finisterre, in Spanish Cabo Finisterre, literally Cape Lands End, is a rock-bound peninsula in the north-west of Spain. At Cape Finisterre in 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession, the English won a naval battle against the... Cape Finisterre in northwest The Kingdom of Spain or Spain ( Spanish: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma; Galician: Reino da España) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the... Spain between a The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the British Commonwealth and European Union. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, UK or, inaccurately, as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent parts. Three of these parts... British fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Portrait of Robert Calder by Lemuel Francis Abbott, painted 1797 Admiral Robert Calder ( 1745– 1 September 1818) was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was Admiral John Jerviss Captain of... Robert Calder and a French fleet commanded by Admiral Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve (1763 in Valensole, 1806 in Rennes), French admiral, directed the French-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. Categories: People stubs | 1763 births | 1806 deaths | French Navy admirals ... Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve. The action was inconclusive, but the French fleet was prevented from entering the The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. In French it is called La Manche and in Italian La Manica (the sleeve). In German it is called Der Ärmelkanal... English Channel and escorting Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... Napoleon's Armée d'Angleterre to invade Britain.

Strategic background

The fragile The Treaty of Amiens was signed on March 25, 1802 (Germinal 4, year X in the French Revolutionary Calendar) by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquis Cornwallis as a Definitive Treaty of Peace between France and Britain. Together with the Treaty of Lunéville (1801) the treaty of Amiens marked the... Peace of Amiens of Events March 16 - West Point is established. March 25/27 - Treaty of Amiens between France and United Kingdom ends the War of the Second Coalition. March 28 - H. W. Olbers discovers the asteroid Pallas. May 19 - Napoleon Bonaparte establishes the French légion dhonneur (Legion of Honour). July 4... 1802 had come to an end when Napoleon invaded the Italian state of Piedmont is a region of northwestern Italy. It has an area of 25,400 km2 and a population of est. 4.3 million. Its capital is Turin. Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps mountain range, including the Monviso, where the Po river rises. It borders with France... Piedmont and on May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). There are 227 days remaining. Events 1593 - Playwright Thomas Kyds accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe. 1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making... 18 May Events January 30 - Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to discuss, and possibly buy, New Orleans. They end completing the Louisiana Purchase. February 24 - The Supreme Court of the United States, in Marbury v. Madison, establishes the principle of judicial review. March 1 - Ohio is admitted as the 17th U... 1803 Britain was once again at war with France.

Napoleon planned to end the British blockade by invading and conquering Britain. By Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. February 15 - Harmony Society officially formed March 1 - Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate April 27 - United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The Shores of Tripoli). May 26 - In Milans cathedral... 1805 his Armée d'Angleterre was 150,000 strong and encamped at Boulogne is the name of several communes in France: Boulogne in the Vendée département Boulogne-Billancourt, in the Hauts-de-Seine département Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the Pas_de_Calais département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Boulogne. If this army could cross the English Channel, victory over the poorly trained and equipped British army and militias was very likely. The plan was that the French navy would escape from the British blockades of Location within France Coat of Arms of Toulon Toulon (Tolon in Provençal) is a city in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-dAzur région, Toulon is... Toulon and Brest is the name of several cities: City in Belarus: Brest, Belarus, formerly in Russia and the Soviet Union and formerly known as Brest-Litovsk. City in France: Brest, France Brest is also a possible misspelling for breast, part of a vertebrates body, prominent in bipeds, e.g., humans... Brest and threaten to attack the The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. These islands curve southward from the bottom tip of Florida to the Northwest of Venezuela in South America. There are at least 7000 islands, islets, reefs and cayes in the region. They are organized into... West Indies, thus drawing off the British defence of the Western approaches. The combined fleets would rendezvous at The département of Martinique is an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Caribbean Sea. The capital is Fort-de-France. Population at the 1999 census: 381,427 inhabitants. Population as of 1.1. 2004 estimates: 393,000... Martinique and then double back to Europe, land troops in A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales are visible to the east. Ireland is located west of the European landmass, which is part of the continent of Eurasia. Ireland (Éire in Irish) is the... Ireland to raise a rebellion, defeat the weakened British patrols in the Channel, and help transport the Armée d'Angleterre across the The Strait of Dover (Fr. pas de Calais) is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, just 33 kilometres wide between Dover and Calais, and is considered by some to be the busiest shipping lane in the world. The Channel Tunnel passes under it. It is at... Straits of Dover.

Villeneuve sailed from Toulon on March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). There are 277 days remaining. Events up to 19th century 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England. 1638 - Swedish... 29 March Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. February 15 - Harmony Society officially formed March 1 - Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate April 27 - United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The Shores of Tripoli). May 26 - In Milans cathedral... 1805 with eleven Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. A first-rate from about 1845 In the age of sail, after the development of the line of battle tactic in the mid 17th century, and up to the mid 19th... ships of the line, six Sailing frigates were 4th, 5th, or 6th-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. In modern military terminology, a frigate is a warship intended to protect other warships and merchant marine ships and as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups, and... frigates and two In sailing, a brig is a vessel with two masts at least one of which is square rigged. In modern parlance, a brig is square rigged on both masts, and this is the standard name for such a vessel. Previously, brig has been used as an abbreviation of brigantine, which... brigs. He evaded Admiral Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. He is famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, where he lost his life. He became... Nelson's blockading fleet and passed the The Strait of Gibraltar as seen from space. The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait which separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. On the northern side is Spain and Gibraltar, on the southern side Morocco and Ceuta (a Spanish exclave in North Africa). Its boundaries were known to... Strait of Gibraltar on April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). There are 267 days remaining in the year. Events 217 Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated (and succeeded) by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus 1730 - Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New... 8 April. At Cádiz is a coastal city in southwestern Spain, in the region of Andalusia, and is the capital of the province of Cádiz. As of the 2003 census its population was 134,989, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 406,095... Cádiz he drove off the British blockading squadron and was joined by six Spanish ships of the line. The combined fleet sailed for the West Indies, reaching Martinique on May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). There are 233 days remaining. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. 1264 - The Battle of Lewes, between King Henry III of England and the rebel Simon de Montfort, 6th... 12 May.

Nelson was kept in the The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2.5 million km². Name The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin mediterraneus, inland (medius, middle + terra, land, earth). The Mediterranean Sea... Mediterranean by westerly winds and did not pass the Strait until May 7 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes.css; @import /skins/monobook/IE55Fixes.css; @import /skins/monobook/IE60Fixes.css; /**/ May 7 From Wikipedia May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). There are 238 days remaining. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome... 7 May Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. February 15 - Harmony Society officially formed March 1 - Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate April 27 - United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The Shores of Tripoli). May 26 - In Milans cathedral... 1805. The British fleet of ten ships reached There is more than one entry for the locale Antigua in Wikipedia: Antigua is an island in the Antigua and Barbuda Antigua Guatemala is also a city in the central mountains of Guatemala This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Antigua on June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. Events 780 BC - The first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China. 1039 - Henry II becomes King of Germany. 1615 - Forces under the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle... 4 June.

Villeneuve waited at Martinique for Admiral Ganteaume's Brest fleet to join him, but it remained blockaded in port and did not appear. Pleas from French army officers for Villeneuve to attack British colonies went unheeded — except for the recapture of the island fort of Diamond Rock — until June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. Events 780 BC - The first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China. 1039 - Henry II becomes King of Germany. 1615 - Forces under the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle... 4 June when he set out from Martinique. On June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. Events 1000-1899 1099 - Beginning of Siege of Jerusalem (1099) 1494 - Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the two countries. 1654... 7 June he learned from a captured British merchantman that Nelson had arrived at Antigua, and on June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. Events 1200 BC-AD 1899 1184 BC - According to the calculations of Eratosthenes, the date that Troy was sacked and burned. AD 1509 - Marriage of King Henry VIII of... 11 June Villeuve left for Europe, having failed to achieve any of his objectives in the Caribbean. He arrived off Cape Finisterre on July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed emperor of the western Roman Empire. 1357 5:31 AM - Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor assisted laying the foundation stone of... 9 July but north-easterly winds prevented him from entering the Bay of Biscay until July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. Events 1499 - Battle of Dornach - The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. 1587 - Colony of Roanoke: A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke... 22 July.

Battle

News of the returning French fleet reached Vice Admiral Portrait of Robert Calder by Lemuel Francis Abbott, painted 1797 Admiral Robert Calder ( 1745– 1 September 1818) was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was Admiral John Jerviss Captain of... Robert Calder on July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. 1333 - Battle of Halidon Hill: the final battle of the Wars of Scottish... 19 July. He was ordered to lift his blockade of the ports of Rochefort is the name of several communes in France, of a municipality in Belgium and a commune in Switzerland: Rochefort in the Charente-Maritime département of France Rochefort in the Côte-dOr département of France Rochefort in the Savoie département of France Rochefort, Belgium Rochefort... Rochefort and Ferrol is a Galizan town near A Coruña. Ferrol is best known for the IZAR shipyard. The town was the birthplace of Spanish generalissimo Francisco Franco, and was officially known as El Ferrol del Caudillo from 1938 to 1982. Categories: Spain geography stubs ... El Ferrol and sail for Cape Finisterre to intercept Villeneuve. The fleets sighted each other at about 11:00 on July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. Events 1499 - Battle of Dornach - The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. 1587 - Colony of Roanoke: A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke... 22 July.

Calder had fifteen ships of the line (Prince of Wales, Glory, The Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782: surrender of the Ville de Paris by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1783, shows Hoods Barfleur, centre, attacking the French flagship Ville de Paris, right. The second HMS Barfleur was built at Chatham Dockyard in 1768 as a 90-gun second-rate ship... Barfleur, Windsor Castle, Malta, HMS Thunderer (1783 at Rotherhither) a 74-gun 3rd rate ship of the line which fought at Trafalgar. The Thunderer served in the Dardenelles in 1807 as part of a squadron under Admiral Sir John Duckworth and was badly damaged when the squadron withdrew from the area. She was decommissioned... Thunderer, Hero, Repulse, HMS Defiance was a 3rd rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, of 74 guns, built in 1783. Her crew mutinied three times, in 1794, 1797 (the Spithead mutiny) and 1798 (the rising of the United Irishmen). She fought at Copenhagen and Trafalgar, we she captured the Spanish... Defiance, HMS Ajax, launched in 1798, was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. During the battle she assisted Orion in forcing the surrender of the French seventy-four Intrépide. The Ajax was destroyed... Ajax, Warrior, Dragon, Triumph, HMS Agamemnon was a Royal Navy third-rate ship of the line with an armament of 64 guns. She was built at Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River in the New Forest, was launched in 1781, and served until 1809 when she was lost after running aground on... Agamemnon, and Raisonnable), two frigates (Egyptienne and Sirius), and two smaller vessels.

Villeneuve had twenty ships of the line (Argonauta, Terrible, America, Espana, San Rafaël, Firme, Pluton, Mont Blanc, Atlas, Berwick, Neptune, Bucentaure, Formidable, Intrépide, Scipion, Swiftsure, Indomptable, Aigle, Achille, and Algésiras) with seven frigates, and two brigs.

After several hours of manoeuvering to the south-west, the action began at about 17:15 as the British fleet, with Hero (Captain Alan Hyde Gardner) in the van, bore down on the Franco-Spanish line of battle. In poor visibility, the battle became a confused melee. At about 20:00 Firme and San Rafaël surrendered. Calder signalled for the action to be broken off at 20:25, aiming to continue the battle the next day. In the failing light and general confusion some ships continued to fire for another hour.

Daybreak on July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. Events 1632 - 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France. 1829 - In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the first typewriter. 1862 - American Civil War: Henry W... 23 July found the fleets 27 km apart. Calder was unwilling to attack a second time against superior odds, he had to protect the damaged Windsor Castle and Malta, and he had to consider the possibility that the previously blockaded fleets at Rochefort and Ferrol might put to sea and effect a junction with Villeneuve's combined fleet. Accordingly he declined to attack and headed northeast with his prizes.

Villeneuve's report claims that at first he intended to attack, but in the very light breezes it took all day to come up to the British and he decided not to risk combat late in the day. On July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. Events 1500-1899 1567 - Mary Queen of Scots is deposed. 1701 - Detroit, Michigan founded. 1814 - War of 1812: General Phineas Riall advances toward Niagara to halt Jacob Browns... 24 July a change in the wind put the Franco-Spanish fleet to the windward of the British — the ideal position for an attack — but again Villeneuve did not attack, but instead turned away to the south. When he arrived at A Coruña (previously also known in English as Corunna; Galician A Coruña, Spanish La Coruña) is a Galician city, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of A Coruña province. As of the 2003 census, the population of the city of A... La Coruña on August 1st is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. Events 500-1899 527 - Justinian I becomes Byzantine Emperor. 1291 - The Swiss Confederation is formed. 1492 - Ferdinand and Isabella drive the Jews out of Spain. 1461 - Edward IV crowned... 1 August he received orders from Napoleon to proceed immediately to Brest and Boulogne, but instead — perhaps believing a false report of a superior British fleet in the Bay of Biscay — he returned to Cádiz is a coastal city in southwestern Spain, in the region of Andalusia, and is the capital of the province of Cádiz. As of the 2003 census its population was 134,989, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 406,095... Cádiz, reaching that port on August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 132 days remaining. Events 1600-1799 1680 - Pueblo Indians captured Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt 1770 - James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New... 21 August.

Aftermath

The battle was a serious defeat for the French: fifteen British ships had engaged twenty Franco-Spanish and captured two Spanish. The British losses were 39 officers and men killed and 159 wounded; the allied losses 476 officers and men killed and wounded. Most importantly, Villeneuve had failed in all his objectives: he had landed no troops in Ireland, and Napoleon's Armée d'Angleterre waited uselessly at Boulogne as before.

The British public and For the international law of the sea, see Admiralty law. For the area of Hong Kong, see Admiralty, Hong Kong Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723_26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty (officially the Admiralty Board... Admiralty did not see the action in that light, however. Calder was relieved of his command, court-martialled, and sentenced to be severely reprimanded for his failure to seek action on 23 and 24 July. He never served at sea again.

Napoleon was forced to abandon his plan of invading Britain. Instead, the Armée d'Angleterre, renamed the Grande Armée, left Boulogne on August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. Events 479 BC - Battle of Plataea ends the Persian invasion of Greece, Mardonius routed by Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army. 55 BC - Julius Caesar Lands in... 27 August to counter the threat from The Republic of Austria ( German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The state is a representative democracy... Austria and The Russian Federation ( Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches... Russia.

Villeneuve and the combined fleets remained at Cadiz until they came out to their destruction at the Battle of Trafalgar Conflict Napoleonic Wars Date 21 October 1805 Place Cape Trafalgar Result Decisive British victory The Battle of Trafalgar, fought on 21 October 1805, was the most significant naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars and the pivotal naval battle of the 19th century. It was fought west of... battle of Trafalgar on October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. Events 600-1899 686 - Conon becomes Pope. 1600 - Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the leaders of rival Japanese clans in the Battle of Sekigahara, which marks the beginning of the Tokugawa... 21 October.

See also

• Three naval battles fought between Britain and France near Cape Finisterre in northwest Spain are known as the battle of Cape Finisterre. In the War of the Austrian Succession, the first battle of Cape Finisterre on 14 May 1747 was a victory for a British fleet under Admiral George Anson... Battle of Cape Finisterre for other battles of this name.

References

• William James, Naval History of Great Britain, 1793–1827.