Battle of Cape Palos (1815)

The Battle of Cape Palos was the last battle of the Second Barbary War. The battle began when an American squadron under Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. attacked and captured an Algerian brig.

Battle of Cape Palos
Part of Second Barbary War
Sail plan of the United States Navy brig
Date June 19, 1815 Location Off Cape Palos (Spain), Mediterranean Sea Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Regency of Algiers
Commanders and leaders
Stephen Decatur, Jr.	Unknown
Strength
1 sloop 1 brigantine 2 schooners	1 brig
Casualties and losses
None	23 killed ~80 captured 1 brig captured 1 boat sunk

Background

After capturing the Algerian flagship Meshuda and sending her to Cartagena under the escort of USS Macedonian, Stephen Decatur and his squadron continued on their way towards Algiers. On June 19, 1815, they sighted the 22-gun Algerian brig Estedio.

Battle

Decatur began pursuit of Estedio and chased her into shoal waters near the coast of Spain off Cape Palos. Fearing that his larger vessels might get beached, he sent the smaller vessels in his squadron, the USS Epervier, USS Spark, USS Torch, and USS Spitfire to deal with the brig. Here the vessels fought half an hour before the Algerians began to abandon their vessel and surrender. As Estedio's crew members began to flee towards the cape in her boats, the American vessels fired on them, sinking them. The surviving 80 crewmen of Estedio surrendered. Besides the 80 captured, Estedio lost at least 23 men killed.

Aftermath

After the battle, a prize crew took Estedio to Cartagena, where Spanish authorities interned her. They returned her to Algiers at the end of the war, but then on July 18, 1815 the Algerians declared war on Spain so the Spanish government seized both her and the frigate Mashouda, which Decatur had also captured, at Cartagena.^[1]

Decatur's squadron regrouped and continued on its way to Algiers to force Dey Omar Agha to terms.