Battle of Cabrita point

The Battle of Cabrita point was a naval battle near Gibraltar on march 21 1705 in the War of Spanish Succession.
The battle was an English victory which effectively ended the Franco-Spanish siege of Gibraltar.

Prelude

The allies had conquered Gibraltar on August 1 1704.The Spanish besieged the city by land, and in that year the French had made a first failed attempt to attack from the sea in the Battle of Vélez-Málaga.

In January 1705 Philip V of Spain was determined to reconquer the rock and had Villadarias replaced by Marshal de Tessé .

Tessé realized that Gibraltar would never be retaken as long as the allies could access it from the sea. He therefore ordered Admiral Pointis to block up the place by sea with his squadron of 13 ships of the line. Some of these ships were Spanish under José Fernández de Santillán. Gibraltar wasn't a permanent harbour yet for the British fleet, which was anchored in Lisbon at the time.

The commander of Gibraltar, Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt , despatched an express to Lisbon , desiring sir John Leake to sail to his assistance. This admiral set sail immediately with five sail of the line and a body of troops.

The battle

Arriving at Gibraltar, he found five French ships hauling out of the bay. Admiral Leake had every advantage and he pressed home his attack with speed and vigour. In a swift and skilful action near Cabrita Point, 9 miles south-west of Marbella, the British took the "Ardent" (60), the "Marquis" (66) and the "Arrogant" (60). Pointis had no other option than to run the two remaining ships, his flagship "Magnanime" (74) and the "Lys" (66), ashore and burn them to avoid capture.

The remaining part of the French squadron had been blown from their anchors by a gale, and taken shelter in the bay of Malaga; but now they slipped their cables and made the best of their way to Toulon.

Aftermath

The Marshal de Tessé, in consequence of this disaster, turned the siege of Gibraltar into a blockade, and withdrew the greater part of his forces on March 31.

Pointis retired from active service after this battle.

Leake had not only scored a remarkable victory, but had saved Gibraltar from attack and had enhanced his already high reputation.

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