Battle of Cartagena (1643)

Battle of Cartagena

Date	3 September 1643
Location	Cartagena (Spain)
Result	French victory

Belligerents

France

Spain

Commanders and leaders

Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé

Martín Carlos de Mencos

Joos Petersen

Strength

20 galleons
2 frigates
12 fire ships

5 galleons,
6 Flemish hulks,
14 Dunkirkers

Casualties and losses

Unknown

1 galleon burned,
2 galleons captured

Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)

Les Avins Leuven Tornavento Somme Getaria Fuenterrabía Saint Omer Thionville Salses Cádiz Turin Montjuïc Arras 1st Tarragona La Marfée 2nd Tarragona Perpignan Honnecourt Barcelona Lerida Cartagena Rocroi 2nd Lleida Orbetello Lens Cambrils 2nd Barcelona Bordeaux Tortuga Arras Valenciennes The Dunes Dunkirk

The Battle of Cartagena was a naval battle fought on September 3, 1643 during the Thirty Years' War off Cape de Gate near Cartagena, Spain.

After a series of victories in 1641 and 1642 the French Navy dominated the Western Mediterranean Sea. France was also in control of most of Catalonia after the Catalan Revolt.
At that time, the Spanish Navy did not dare to show itself off the Catalan coast.

In 1643 the French admiral Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé sailed south, to search and destroy the Spanish fleet to extend the dominance of the French Navy in the Mediterranean.
He found a fleet of Dunkirkers under Joos Petersen, ships from Naples and a squadron from the Mar Oceano fleet under Martín Carlos de Mencos.

On September 3 at 7:00 AM Maillé-Brézé attacked with favorable winds and dispersed the enemy fleet. He burned a galleon and captured 2 others, while the rest of the Spanish fleet retreated into the port of Cartagena.

The port was closed by the Duke of Fernandina and no Spanish ship left the harbour for more than a year.

All commerce between Spain and Italy was thus made impossible. The victory was short-lived for the French, however, as Spanish dominance in the region returned when the French fleet declined after the death of Cardinal Richelieu.

References

Henri Martin, Histoire de France, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'en 1789, 1858
Léon Guérin, Histoire maritime de France, 1851

Coordinates: 37°36′00″N 0°59′00″W / 37.6000°N 0.9833°W / 37.6000; -0.9833

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