San Hermenegildo served in the Spanish Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars and was destroyed with heavy loss of life during the Second Battle of Algeciras.

[1] The squadron subsequently participated in the evacuation of Toulon during the last stage of the siege, alongside the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Samuel Hood.

In 1800, San Hermenegildo was refitted at Ferrol, repairing a number of faults that had existed since her construction and increasing the weight of cannon that the ship could carry.

During the night of 12 July the combined force was returning through the Straits of Gibraltar when a British squadron attacked them at the Second Battle of Algeciras.

In the darkness, the two huge Spanish ships collided, fire spreading out of control until both exploded in a fireball that could be seen from shore.