Action of 18 March 1748

Action of 18 March 1748
Part of the War of Jenkins' Ear
Date18 March 1748
Locationoff Cape St Vincent, Spain
Result British victory
Belligerents
 Great Britain Spain Spain
Commanders and leaders
Captain Thomas Cotes Commodore Don Juan de Egues
Strength
6 ships of the line 9 ships of the line & frigates,
17 merchant vessels
Casualties and losses
Light 5 merchant ships captured[1]

The Action of 18 March 1748 was a naval engagement during the War of Jenkins' Ear in which a fleet of six Royal Naval vessels captured a number of merchantman in a successful engagement against a Spanish convoy escorted by nine ships of the line and frigates.[2]

Battle

Whilst off Cape St Vincent a small British fleet under Captain Cotes kept watch on his station. The Royal naval vessels consisted from 74 to 54 guns, by HMS Edinburgh, 70 guns, under the command of Captain Thomas Cotes, with the Eagle, Windsor, and Princess Louisa, 60 guns each, and Inverness, 24 guns and the frigate Gax. when he caught eye of a Spanish convoy. He caught up with the tail end of the convoy and an action ensued.[1]

The escorting Spanish ships of the line were Soberbio (74), Leon (74), Oriente (70), Colorado (70), Brillante (64), Pastora (64), Rosario (60), Xavier (54) and Galga (54). Three register ships, from Cadiz to Vera Cruz, and two others for Carthagena, were intercepted and captured out of a Spanish fleet of 17 merchantmen, under a convoy of nine ships of the line.[2] The rest of the convoy managed to escape under darkness with their escorting ships.[1]

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