The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 2, Winter 2019 | Page 118

The Saber
tance, but to weather and illness in the
Franco-Spanish fleet. 40 The allied fleet
eventually gave up the idea of entering
the Channel and instead sought to engage
the British fleet, which they outnumbered,
but the British evaded these
efforts and the French and Spanish returned
to Brest. 41 This action was important
to the British in that it signaled
the last time the allies would attempt to
invade the British Isles. Naval engagements
continued in home waters, however,
until the peace in 1783. 42 The joint
allied fleet dispersed, with France turning
her attention to the West Indies, and
Spain to Gibraltar and Minorca. 43
As soon as the Spanish declared
war on Great Britain, they blockaded
Gibraltar, and now they turned their
full attention to that strategic base. The
British were also aware of the strategic
importance of Gibraltar and elected to
relieve it. Fortunately for Great Britain,
during 1779 twenty-three ships of the
line joined the Royal Navy, including
seven taken from the French and two
from the Spanish. 44 These additional
ships made the prospect of a relief expedition
feasible. To command the relief
of Gibraltar, Lord Sandwich chose Admiral
George Rodney to lead the expedition,
which was a risk due to Rodney’s
unpopularity in the navy as a result of
his pro-government views and blatant
dishonesty. 45 Rodney, however, was an
aggressive and intelligent admiral who
was not averse to taking risks. 46
Rodney’s relief force set sail on
Christmas Eve, 1779 and met with early
success. The British fleet comprised
twenty-two ships of the line and eight
frigates, along with hundreds of support
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