Battle of Gibraltar (1607)
| Battle of Gibraltar | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Eighty Years' War | |||||||
 The Battle of Gibraltar by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United Provinces | Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jacob van Heemskerk † | Juan Álvarez de Ávila † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
26 warships 4 merchant ships | 21 warships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
100 dead 60 wounded |
4,000 dead 21 ships destroyed | ||||||
On 25 April 1607 during the Eighty Years' War, a Dutch fleet surprised and engaged a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar. During the 4-hour action, the entire Spanish fleet was destroyed.
Forces
The Dutch fleet of 26 smaller warships and 4 cargo ships was led by Jacob van Heemskerk.
The Dutch flagship was Æolus. Other Dutch ships were De Tijger, De Zeehond, De Griffioen, De Roode Leeuw, The Golden Lion, De Zwarte Beer, De Witte Beer and De Ochtendster.
The Spanish fleet of 21 ships, including 10 galleons of the largest size, was led by Don Juan Álvarez de Ávila.
The Spanish flagship San Augustin (St Augustine) was commanded by Don Juan's son. Other ships were Nuestra Señora de la Vega (Our Lady of Vega) and Madre de Dios (Mother of God).
Battle
Van Heemskerk left some of his ships at the bay entrance to prevent the escape of any Spanish ship. The attacking ships were ordered to focus on the Spanish flagship and the Dutch fleet stood into the bay.
Van Heemskerk was killed during the first approach on the Spanish flagship as a cannon ball severed his leg. The Dutch effectively then doubled up the galleons – in a move similar to the Battle of the Nile fought 200 years later – and a few of the galleons caught fire. One Spanish ship exploded due to a shot into the powder magazine. The Dutch captured the Spanish flagship, but let it go adrift.
Following the destruction of the Spanish ships, the Dutch deployed boats and killed hundreds of swimming Spanish sailors.
The Dutch lost 100 men including admiral Van Heemskerk. 60 Dutch were wounded. The Spanish lost their entire fleet, meaning 21 ships and 4,000 men, including Álvarez.