The Battle of Cape St. Vincent (14 February 1797) was one of the opening battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), as part of the French Revolutionary Wars, where a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a greatly superior Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.

After the signing of the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1796 allying Spanish and French forces against Great Britain, the Royal Navy blockaded Spain in 1797, impairing communications with its empire.

The Spanish planned to join the French fleet at Brest and escort a large merchant convoy, carrying mainly mercury for gold and silver production, from Cádiz.

On 6 February, Jervis was joined off Cape St. Vincent by a reinforcement of five ships of the line from the Channel Fleet under Rear-Admiral William Parker.

On 11 February, the British frigate HMS Minerve, under the command of Commodore Horatio Nelson, passed through the Spanish fleet unseen due to heavy fog.

Though Admiral Jervis still had no idea of the size of the fleet he was up against, during the night came the sounds for which he had been waiting: Spanish signal guns in the fog.

By 5:30 a.m., Niger reported them closer still, as a cold and foggy February dawn rose on the British fleet, formed in two lines of battle.

Hearing this, the Canadian Captain Hallowell became so excited he thumped the Admiral on the back, "That's right Sir John, and, by God, we'll give them a damn good licking!

When this was completed the British fleet had formed a single line of battle, sailing south to pass between the two Spanish columns.

Had they managed this, the battle would have ended indecisively with the Spanish running for Cádiz and the British harrying their sterns in the manner of the Armada in 1588.

At 1:05 p.m., Jervis hoisted a signal: Take suitable stations for mutual support and engage the enemy as coming up in succession Nelson had returned to his ship Captain (a seventy-four) and was now towards the rear of the British line, much closer to the larger group.

As soon as the seventy-four was around, Nelson directed her to pass between Diadem and Excellent and ran across the bows of the Spanish ships forming the central group of the weather division.

As a junior commander, Nelson was acting against Admiral Jervis' order to "form line ahead and astern of Victory", and using his own wide interpretation of "take suitable stations" in the later signal.

At about 2:00 p.m., Culloden had stretched so far ahead as to cover the Captain from the heavy fire poured into her by the Spanish four-decker and her companions, as they hauled up and brought their broadsides to bear.

This ship Captain Collingwood engaged closely until 2:50 when, after a gallant defence in her crippled state, San Ysidro hauled down the Spanish flag.

Salvator del Mundo, more or less disabled, saw Victory was about to pass close astern firing her bow guns and judiciously hauled down her flag.

He later wrote, The soldiers of the 69th, with an alacrity which will ever do them credit, and Lieutenant Pearson of the same regiment, were almost the foremost on this service – the first man who jumped into the enemy's mizen chains was Commander Berry, late my First Lieutenant (Captain Miller was in the very act of going also, but I directed him to remain); he was supported from our sprit sail yard, which hooked in the mizen rigging.

I passed with my people, and Lieutenant Pearson, on the larboard gangway, to the forecastle, where I met two or three Spanish officers, prisoners to my seamen: they delivered me their swords.

A fire of pistols, or muskets, opening from the stern gallery of the San Josef, I directed the soldiers to fire into her stern; and calling to Captain Miller, ordered him to send more men into the San Nicolas; and directed my people to board the first-rate, which was done in an instant, Commander Berry assisting me into the main chains.

"[4] Infante Don Pelayo and San Pablo, which had been dispatched from de Córdoba's group at 8.00 a.m. to investigate guns heard to the north, now sailed in and bore down on Diadem and Excellent.

Admiral Moreno's squad put together the survivors of de Córdoba's group and turned to assist the harassed Spanish sails.

The containment of the Spanish threat and the further reinforcement of his fleet enabled Jervis to send a squadron under Nelson back into the Mediterranean the following year.

That squadron, including Saumarez's Orion, Troubridge's Culloden, and Goliath, now under Foley, re-established British command of the Mediterranean at the Battle of the Nile.

Looking to reform for future engagements against the British, Admiral de Cordóba was blamed for the loss, dismissed from the Spanish Navy and forbidden from the royal court.