| Action of 23 November 1650 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Franco-Spanish War (1635) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of France |
 Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Baron de Ligny (POW) |
Duke of Alburquerque | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4 galleons[3] | 6 galleys[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
4 galleons and their crews captured[3][4] 500 soldiers prisoners[4] 4 pieces of artillery taken[4] | Minimum[4] | ||||||
The action of 23 November 1650 was a minor naval battle between Spain and France, in which a small Spanish squadron of 6 galleys commanded by Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duke of Alburquerque, captured the entirety of a French squadron of galleons under the Baron de Ligny, near Cambrils, during the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659).[2][3] The French fleet consisted of a galleon of 500 tons and 30 cannons, 2 of 300 tons with 20 cannons, and the last of 300 tons and 16 cannons.[4]
The French fleet was sent filled with provisions to help the defenders in the Siege of Tortosa, but the squadron of the Duke of Albuquerque, knowing the enemy's plans, intercepted the French by surprise, achieving a complete victory.[2][3] This case is almost unique in naval history, 6 galleys with 30 guns in total, completely defeated a squadron of four galleons with 86 guns in total, and whose crew had been reinforced by 500 musketeers.[4] The Spaniards captured all the artillery (2 pieces of artillery of campaign and 4 mortars), ammunition carts, flags, equipment (over 1,000 musketry), and supplies from the enemy.[4]
King Philip IV of Spain personally congratulated the Duke of Albuquerque for the victory.[4] On 4 December 1650, the French troops led by the Duke of Mercoeur finally capitulated to the Spanish forces commanded by the Marquis of Mortara at Tortosa.[5]