Battle of Málaga
1704 CE.
Shown on the map at 36.704°, -4.370°.
The Battle of Málaga, also known as the Battle of Vélez-Málaga, was a major fleet action which took place during the War of the Spanish Succession between an Anglo-Dutch fleet and a Franco-Spanish naval force on 24 August 1704. Both sides fought an intense engagement before the Anglo-Dutch fleet withdrew the next day. The French subsequently returned to Toulon, transforming the battle from a tactical stalemate into a strategic defeat, as they would not put out to sea again for the duration of the conflict. Occurring soon after the Anglo-Dutch capture of Gibraltar a few weeks prior, the battle served as one of the numerous engagements which took place for control over the settlement during the war. In 1701, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, pitting the Bourbon kingdoms of France and Spain against Grand Alliance, which included the English and Dutch. An Anglo-Dutch fleet under Sir George Rooke was sent into the Mediterranean in 1704, capturing Gibraltar on 4 August. Upon receiving news of the capture, the French dispatched a fleet to link up with the Spanish Navy and recapture it; Rooke received word of the attempt and mobilised his ships to intercept them.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Málaga (1704), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.