Battle of Sesimbra Bay
| Battle of Sesimbra Bay | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Anglo-Spanish War | |||||||
Illustration of the battle by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| England |
Spain Portugal | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Richard Leveson William Monson |
Álvaro de Bazán Federico Spinola | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5 galleons |
1 carrack 11 galleys 1 fort | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
12 killed 30 wounded |
800 killed or wounded 1 carrack captured 2 galleys sunk | ||||||
The Battle of Sesimbra Bay was a naval engagement that took place on 3 June 1602, during the Anglo-Spanish War. It was fought off the coast of Portugal (then within the Iberian Union) between an English naval expeditionary force sent out with orders by Queen Elizabeth I to prevent any further Spanish incursions against Ireland or England itself. The English force under Richard Leveson and William Monson met a fleet of Spanish galleys and a large carrack at Sesimbra Bay commanded by Álvaro de Bazán and Federico Spinola. The English were victorious in battle, sinking two galleys, forced the rest to retreat, neutralized the fort, and captured the carrack. It was the last expedition to be sent to Spain by orders of the Queen before her death the following year.