Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1657)
| Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660) | |||||||
Painting of the battle by Charles Dixon | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| England | Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Robert Blake Sir Richard Stayner Benjamin Blake |
Diego de Egües y Beaumont Alonso Dávila y Guzmán | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 23 warships |
2 galleons 5 smaller ships 9 merchant ships 1 castle and shore batteries 9 merchant ships, | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
48 killed 120 wounded |
300 killed 5 smaller ships captured 2 galleons scuttled 9 merchant ships scuttled | ||||||
Location within Canary Islands Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1657) (Africa) | |||||||
The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a military operation in the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–60) which took place on 20 April 1657. An English Protectorate fleet under Admiral Robert Blake penetrated the heavily defended harbour at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands and attacked their treasure fleet. The treasure had already been landed and was safe but the English engaged the harbour forts and the Spanish ships, many of which were scuttled and the remainder burnt. Having achieved his aim, Blake withdrew without losing any ships.