Armada of 1779

Armada of 1779
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date June to September 1779 Location English Channel Result British victory[1][2]
Belligerents
France Spain	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Comte d'Orvilliers Comte de Vaux Luis de Córdova y Córdova	Sir Charles Hardy Lord Amherst
Strength
66 ships of the line 30,000 troops[3]	38 ships of the line 20,000 troops 39,000 militia[4]
Casualties and losses
8,000 dead or sick from disease[2]	1 ship captured

The Armada of 1779 was a combined Franco-Spanish naval enterprise intended to divert British military assets, primarily of the Royal Navy, from other war theatres by invading the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. This action was a part of the wider Anglo-French War (1778–1783). The proposed plan was to seize the Isle of Wight and then capture the British naval base of Portsmouth. Ultimately, no fleet battles were fought in the Channel and the Franco-Spanish invasion never materialized. This threat to Great Britain prompted comparisons to the earlier Spanish Armada of 1588.^[3]