Battle of Getaria

Battle of Getaria
Part of Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)
Battle of Getaria, by Andries van Eertvelt
Date 22 August 1638 Location Getaria, Bay of Biscay, Spain Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Henri de Sourdis Claude de Launay-Razilly	Lope de Hoces
Strength
27 warships [a] 7 fireships, 5,000 men[1]	12–14 galleons [b], 2 Dunkirk privateers, 3-14 frigates, [3][1][c]; 4,000[4]–7,000[1] men
Casualties and losses
No ships lost, 40 dead [5]	All ships destroyed, except one; 3,000[4]–4,000[1] dead

The Battle of Getaria^[d] was fought on 22 August 1638 during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–59), at Getaria, in northern Spain. A French naval force commanded by Henri de Sourdis attacked and destroyed a Spanish squadron under Lope de Hoces, who survived but was killed at the Battle of the Downs in 1639.

The French fleet was being used to support the siege of Fuenterrabía, a vital Spanish port. By early August, the blockade meant the town was close to starvation. To provide time for a relief force to reach the defenders, de Hoces was ordered to draw their ships away; despite the near total destruction of his force, the siege was lifted in September 1638.

Although ultimately Getaria had little strategic impact, it was the first significant victory for the newly formed French Navy; Cardinal Richelieu viewed it as vindication of the decision taken in 1624 to invest large sums in its expansion.

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