Battle of Cartagena de Indias
1741 naval battle of the War of Jenkins' Ear / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (Spanish: Sitio de Cartagena de Indias, lit. 'Siege of Cartagena de Indias') took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fought in the Caribbean; the British tried to capture key Spanish ports in the region, including Porto Bello and Chagres in Panama, Havana, and Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia.
Battle of Cartagena de Indias | |||||||
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Part of the War of Jenkins' Ear and the War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||
British attack on Cartagena de Indias by Luis Fernández Gordillo. Oil on canvas, Naval Museum of Madrid | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Great Britain | Spain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Edward Vernon Thomas Wentworth John Grant † Charles Knowles[2] |
Sebastián de Eslava Blas de Lezo Jose Polanco Campuzano Carlos Desnaux | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
27,400–30,000 military personnel:[3][4] 29 ships of the line22 frigates[7] 71 sloops-of-war 2 hospital ships 80 troop ships 50 merchant ships[8] |
3,000–4,000 military personnel:[9] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
9,500–11,500 dead[13][14][15] 7,500 wounded and sick 1,500 guns lost[16] 6 Royal Navy ships lost[17][18] 17 Royal Navy ships of the line heavily damaged[15][19] 4 frigates and 27 transports lost[20] |
800 dead[21] 1,200 wounded[22] 6 ships lost 5 forts 3 batteries | ||||||
Two previous naval attacks in 1740 had failed and for the third attempt in March 1741, the British had opted for a combined naval and land attack. After a series of unsuccessful assaults in the campaign, the British were forced to retreat, having suffered over 9,500–11,500 fatalities, in great part to disease, and considerable material losses.[23] Some units suffered death rates of 80 to 90 percent. The victory demonstrated Spain's ability to defend its position and largely ended military operations in this area. Both countries shifted their focus to the wider European War of the Austrian Succession and hostilities ended with the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.[24]