Action of 7 April 1800

Action of 7 April 1800
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Map of Cádiz Bay
Date 5-7 April 1800 Location Bay of Cádiz, Spain Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
John Thomas Duckworth	Don Fraquin Porcel Don Manuel Norates
Strength
Ships of the line HMS Leviathan and HMS Swiftsure frigate HMS Emerald	frigates Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Santa Florentina, Santa Sabina, 13 merchant vessels
Casualties and losses
None	2 frigates, 9 merchant vessels captured, 23 killed, 28 wounded

The action of 7 April 1800 was a minor naval engagement fought between a British squadron blockading the Spanish naval base of Cádiz and a convoy of 13 Spanish merchant vessels escorted by three frigates, bound for the Spanish colonies in the Americas. The blockade squadron consisted of the ships of the line HMS Leviathan and HMS Swiftsure and the frigate HMS Emerald, commanded by Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth on Leviathan. The Spanish convoy sailed from Cádiz on 3 April 1800 and encountered Duckworth's squadron two days later. The Spanish attempted to escape; Emerald succeeded in capturing one ship early on 6 April. The British captured a brig the following morning and the British squadron divided in pursuit of the remainder.

Calm winds delayed both pursuer and quarry and it was not until the morning of 7 April that Leviathan and Emerald came up on the bulk of the Spanish convoy, which was still under escort from the Spanish frigate squadron. Swiftsure had been detached south in pursuit of the rest of the convoy. Two Spanish frigates, Nuestra Señora del Carmen and Santa Florentina mistook Duckworth's force for part of their convoy, came too close and had to surrender after a short but fierce resistance. The third frigate Santa Sabina managed to escape Emerald's pursuit but the rest of the convoy was left unprotected and the British seized four more ships. In all, the British captured and sent into Gibraltar 13 vessels of the 16-ship convoy.