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The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 14th February 1797 After some early successes, notably the battle of the Glorious First of June (1794), the war with revolutionary France and her allies was not going well for Great Britain as 1796 drew to a close. A Franco-Spanish expedition to invade Ireland was being prepared and the large but undermanned Spanish fleet was ordered to join its French counterpart already making for Brest. The Spaniards under Admiral de Cordova, put to sea from Cartagena with twenty-seven ships-of-the-line in company with twelve frigates only to find Admiral Sir John Jervis lying in wait for them off Cape St. Vincent. On 13th February Jervis was joined by Commodore Nelson's squadron and, the following day, Jervis brought the enemy to action in what proved a landmark victory despite the numerical superiority of Cordova's fleet. Aided by Nelson's tactical brilliance at a crucial moment in the battle, Jervis decimated the Spanish fleet and forced the remnants to withdraw to Cadiz. Jervis's flagship, the mighty 100-gun first rate H.M.S. Victory, had been built at Chatham and launched in 1765. Already a veteran of several major engagements at which she had flown the flags of various commanding admirals, Victory suffered only slight damage at Cape St. Vincent despite her pivotal role in the action during which she engaged the flagship of the Spanish Vice-Admiral Don Juan de Moreno. Soon after the battle, Victory was laid up for an extensive rebuild after which she became Nelson's flagship destined for immortality at Trafalgar.

William E.D. Stuart (fl.1848-1867)

H.M.S. Victory engaging the Spanish vice-admirals's flagship at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 14th February 1797

Details

William E.D. Stuart (fl.1848-1867)
H.M.S. Victory engaging the Spanish vice-admirals's flagship at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 14th February 1797
signed 'W. Stuart' (lower right)
oil on canvas
38½ x 62½in. (97.8 x 158.7cm.)

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Lot Essay

Amongst other versions of this incident is the work attributed to Nicholas Pocock sold in these rooms on 17 November 1999 (lot 451) which was itself a version of the work by Robert Cleveley in the National Collection at Greenwich.

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