Battle Of The Gulf Of Roses
The Battle of the Gulf of Roses, also known as the action of 14 February 1795, was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars. It was fought in the Gulf of Roses between a ship of Juan de Lángara's fleet and a French squadron which consisted of a frigate and a corvette. Upon Lángara's orders, the 112-gun Spanish ship of the line Reina María Luisa pursued the French frigate Iphigenie for over 24 hours, ultimately forcing the Iphigenie to strike its colors. The French corvette, which had been separated from the fleet three days earlier in a storm, was assumed to be lost.
Several days later on March 30, 1795, the 74-gun Spanish ship Montañés, which was escorting the captured Iphigenie, was attacked by a strong French squadron. Consisting of eight ships of the line and two frigates, the French squadron initially flew the Spanish flag. However, due to its superior speed, the Montañés was able to reach the port of Sant Feliu de Guíxols. After a fierce battle in which the Montañés fired 1,100 cannonballs, the attacking French forces were repelled. The only losses aboard the Montañés were three men killed, with several others wounded. The French subsequently withdrew to Menorca.
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References
- Debrett, John (1795). Collection of State papers, relative to the war against France now carrying on by Great-Britain and the several other European powers. London: J. Debrett.
- Marcelino Travieso, José (1856). La marina: revista científica, militar, administrativa, histórica, literaria, política y de comercio. Vol. 2. Madrid: Imprenta de T. Fortanet.