The Battle of Saldanha Bay was a naval action that occurred off the Dutch Cape Colony on 21 July 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.

A squadron of Royal Navy warships under the command of commodore George Johnstone captured five Dutch East India Company ships; her own crew destroyed a sixth.

Suffren was en route to the Indian Ocean, but the French government had warned him so he sought to reach the Cape before Johnstone.

As a result, Johnstone found the Dutch settlement well defended when he arrived there in July and decided against an attack.

One of Johnstone's frigates, flying French colours, intercepted a Dutch merchantmen that had left the bay several days earlier, heading east.

The Dutch vessel was theHeld Woltemade, which had sailed from Saldanha Bay on 28 June carrying stores and £40,000 in bullion to Ceylon.

[4] The information below on the Dutch vessels captured at Saldhana Bay comes from Lloyd's List,[5] van Niekerk,[6] and Nieuwe Nederlandsche jaerboeken.

[11] The total prize money for Paerl and Hoogcarspel, which was divided between Johnstone's squadron and the Army under the command of General Sir William Meadows, amounted to £68,000.