Action of 14 September 1779

Action of 14 September 1779
Part of the American Revolutionary War
HMS Pearl, engaging the Spanish frigate Santa Monica off the Azores, 14th. September 1779; by Dominic Serres
Date 14 September 1779 Location off the Azores, Atlantic Result British victory
Belligerents
Spain	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Don Manuel Núñez Gaona (POW)	George Montagu
Strength
Frigate Santa Mónica 26 guns	Frigate HMS Pearl 32 guns
Casualties and losses
1 frigate captured 38 killed 45 wounded 180 captured[1]	12 killed 19 wounded

The action of 14 September 1779 was a minor naval engagement that occurred on 14 September 1779, off the Azores between the Royal Navy frigate HMS Pearl under the command of George Montagu and the Spanish Navy frigate Santa Mónica under the command of Miguel de Nunes, with the Pearl capturing the Santa Mónica after a brief engagement. The battle was an episode during the American Revolutionary War, where American rebels under the overall command of George Washington launched a revolution against the British government based on perceived grievances. Spain, having been handed a humiliating defeat during the Seven Years' War by the British, was eager to enter the war on the side of the Americans to regain the territories they had lost, such as Florida, Menorca and Gibraltar. British and Spanish naval forces engaged each other several times during the war, as the conflict spilled over into Europe with the Spanish laying siege to Gibraltar.^[1][2]

In September 1779, three years into the war, George Montagu set sail on his newly commissioned ship, HMS Pearl, on a cruise in the eastern fringes of the Atlantic Ocean. On the 14th, he encountered a Spanish frigate, the Santa Mónica, sailing nearby. The Pearl gave chase to the Santa Mónica after she tried to escape the British frigate, managing to catch up to her after a two-hour chase and exchanging a furious cannonade with the opposing ship. Both vessels were of equal size, although the Spanish had less cannons than the British frigate, and many crewmen on the Pearl had never seen action before. After outmanoeuvring and raking the Santa Mónica twice, de Nunes decided to surrender his ship and struck his colours. The captured Spanish frigate was taken back to a British port. Further engagements would occur in European waters during the war, with the most significant being the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, fought just one year later.^[1][2]