List of naval battles: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

This is a chronological list of naval fleet battles and significant single-ship actions. See also Category:Naval battles.

Ancient

• 494 BC Lade
• 480 BC Artemisium
• 480 BC Salamis: Athenian navy defeats the Persians
• 474 BC Cumae
• 460s BC Eurymedon
• 450s BC Salamis (in Cyprus)
• 433 BC Sybota
• 429 BC Naupactus
• 425 BC Pylos
• 411 BC Cynossema
• 405 BC Aegospotami
• 394 BC Cnidus
• 376 BC Naxos
• 306 BC Salamis, Cyprus): Demetrius I Poliorcetes defeats the fleet of Menelaeus, brother of Ptolemy I of Egypt
• 260 BC Lipara Islands
• 260 BC Mylae
• 258 BC Cos
• 256 BC Cape Ecnomus
• 249 BC Drepana
• 242 BC Aegates Islands: Roman victory over the Carthaginians, ending the First Punic War
• 201 BC Chios: Philip V of Macedon defeated by the Egyptians, Rhodians, and Pergamese
• 190 BC Eurymedon: Roman forces under Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeat a Seleucid fleet commanded by Hannibal
• 190 BC Myonessus
• 31 BC Actium: Octavian decisively defeats Antony and Cleopatra

Middle Ages

• 677 Syllaeum
• 1213 Damme: English under William Longsword, sink most of fleet of France's King Philip II in the harbor of Damme
• 1217 August 24 South Foreland: Fleet of English Hubert and Burgh defeat French fleet of Eustace the Monk off Dover
• 1296 Curzota: Genoa defeats Venetian fleet including Marco Polo

14th century

• 1340 Sluys: Edward III of England beats Franco-Genoese fleet of Philip VI of France off the coast of Flanders and gains control of the English Channel
• 1350 L'Espagnols-sur-Mer Edward III and the Black Prince defeat 40 Spanish ships
• 1354 Sapienza: Genoans destroy Venetian fleet
• 1372 Spain defeats England near La Rochelle

15th century

• 1416 English defeat French near Harfleur
• 1417 English defeat French and Genoans
• 1499 Zonchio

16th century

• 1509 February 2 Diu: Portugal's India viceroy destroys Moslem fleet off Western India, controls spice trade
• 1535 20 Sweden/Denmark/Prussia ships defeat 9 Lubeck ships
• 1535 Sweden/Denmark/Prussia defeats 10 Lubeck ships
• 1538 Preveza: Ottoman fleet defeats Spanish-Venetian fleet
• 1545 July 19 Mary Rose sinks off Portsmouth
• 1545 August 15 English and French fight off Portsmouth.
• 1563 May 23? Swedish defeat Danish
• 1563 September 10 Inconslusive Denmark-Sweden
• 1564 May 30, 31 Sweden-Denmark/Lubeck
• 1564 July 12 Denmark defeats Sweden
• 1564 August 12, 13 Denmark-Sweden SE of Oland
• 1565 June 4 Denmark/Libeck defeat Sweden
• 1565 July 7 49 Swedish ships defeat 22 Danish and 14 Lubeck ships
• 1571 October 7 Lepanto: Christian coalition decisively defeats Turkey in a large galley fight off western Greece
• 1588 July Defeat of the Spanish Armada off southern England
• 1600 December 14 Manila Netherlands-Spain

17th century

• 1607 April Gibraltar
• 1610 August 21 Tuscany vs Turkey
• 1610 October 10 Tuscany vs Turkey
• 1616 July 14-16 - First regular action between galleys and sailing ships
• 1617 November 19, 20 Inconclusive battle between Spain and Venice
• 1620 May 11 Venice defeats Spanish under Ribera
• 1622 October France-? near La Rochelle
• 1627 November 28 Oliwa Poland defeats Sweden
• 1639 October 31 The Downs: Dutch under Tromp defeat Spanish under Oquendo in the English Channel
• 1652 May 29 Goodwin Sands: British under Blake fire on Tromp's fleet without declaring war and initiate the First Anglo-Dutch War
• 1652 August 26 Plymouth: De Ruyter's 36 men-of-war hold off Ayscue's 45 men-of-war, driving them away.
• 1652 October 8 Kentish Knock: Blake beats back de With
• 1652 December 10 Dungeness: Tromp defeats Blake
• 1653 February 28–March 2 Portland (3 Days Battle): Tromp, outnumbered, loses a dozen men-of-war and 50 merchantmen to Blake
• 1653 March 13 Leghorn: Johan van Galen's ships defeat Badiley
• 1653 June 12-13 Gabbard
• 1653 August 8-10 Scheveningen
• 1665 June 13 Lowestoft
• 1666 June 11–14 Four Days'
• 1666 August 4–5 St James's Day (North Foreland)
• 1667 Raid on the Medway: Dutch raid Medway river near London
• 1672 Solebay

• 1673 August 21 Texel
• 1676 January Alicuri
• 1676 Palermo French-Netherlands/Spain
• 1676 June 1 Oland: Dutch/Danish fleet defeats Swedish fleet in Baltic Sea
• 1677 February? Tobago French-Netherlands
• 1678 Gibraltar Straits French defeat Netherlands
• 1682 French attack on Algiers
• 1689 Bantry Bay
• 1689 near Casquets
• 1690 July 10 Beachy Head (Beveziers)
• 1690 near Madras France-Britain/Netherlands
• 1692 May 27 - June 3 La Hougue/Barfleur: Decisive defeat of France in the War of the Grand Alliance
• 1697 British-French

18th century

• 1705 June 26 Swedish ships attack Russian base of Kotlin
• 1719 May 24 Osel Island - Russian battleships fight Swedish ships
• 1744 February 22 Toulon: draw between British and Franco-Spanish fleets south of Toulon
• 1759 Quiberon Bay British defeat French
• 1770 May 27 British-Turkish battleship fight
• 1770 July 5 and 7 Chesma Russian fleet burns Turkish fleet off western Turkey
• 1772 November (early) - Russia-Turkey
• 1773 September 3 - Russia-Turkey
• 1773 September? - Russia-Turkey
• 1774 June 20 - Russia-Turkey
• 1774 July 19 - Russia-Turkey
• 1776 October 11 Valcour Island: Benedict Arnold escapes the British fleet under Guy Carleton
• 1780 Cape St Vincent (Moonlight Battle)
• 1781 Chesapeake Bay
• 1781 April 16 La Praya - France (Suffren)-Britain, near Cape Verde Islands
• 1782 February 17 Sadras - Suffren-British
• 1782 April 12 Saintes
• 1782 April 12 Providien: Indecisive engagement between British (Hughes) and French (Suffren) fleets off south-east India
• 1782 July 6 Negapatam: Second indecisive engagment between Hughes and Suffren off south-east India
• 1782 September 3 Trincomalee: Hughes fleet damages Suffrens but withdraws
• 1783 June 20 Cuddalore: Suffren drives Hughes off shore of Cuddalore. Last of the five battles between Suffren and Hughes
• 1788 July 25 Ochakov Russia defeats Turkey in Black Sea
• 1789 June 23 Russia-Turkey
• 1789 July 19 (Kerch Strait) Russia-Turkey
• 1789 September 8 Russia-Turkey
• 1791 August 8 Cape Kaliakra - Russians defeat Turks

Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)

• 1788 July 17 Hogland: Bloody engagement between Swedish and Russian fleets; both sides lose a ship, but Swedes withdraw.
• 1789 May 21 Cutter Mercury under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Roman Crown captures Swedish 40-gun frigate Venus, which according to tradition joins Russian navy under the same name.
• 1789 October 11 First Rochensalm: Clash of Swedish and Russian galley fleets results in Russian victory. Swedish admiral Erensferd looses 5 rowing frigates, as well as some smaller craft and is forced to retreat
• 1790 May 2 Revel: Swedish fleet of 22 battleships and 4 frigates under command of Admiral Duke Carl of Sondermanland attacks Russian fleet under admiral Chitchagov (9 battleships, 5 frigates) anchored off Revel. Attack proves unsuccessful, Swedes lose two ships of the line and withdraw.
• 1790 May 4 Fredrikshamn: Swedish galley fleet (140 galleys, 4 transports) attacks Russian galley detachement of capt. Sjlissov (60 galleys, 3 large rowing frigates). Attack is a success, Russians withdraw after a fight, losing at least 20 galleys and all 3 frigates.
• 1790 June 22 Vyborg Bay: Swedish fleet blockaded in the bay of Vyborg attempts a breakout. Swedes lose 7 ships of the line and three frigates, as well as smaller ships (4 ships and 2 frigates are taken by Russians), but succeed with the breakout and save the remainder of the fleet
• 1790 June 28 Second Rochensalm: Decisive victory of the Swedish galley fleet

French Revolutionary War (1793–1801), Napoleonic Wars (1802–1815) and other

• 1794 June 1 The Glorious First of June: British fleet defeats French fleet in North Atlantic but French grain convoy makes it through to Brest
• 1797 February 14 Cape St Vincent: British defeat Spanish off Cape St Vincent near Gibraltar
• 1797 October Camperdown (Kamperduin): British fleet under Admiral Duncan defeats a Dutch fleet
• 1798 August 1–3 The Nile (Aboukir Bay): Nelson defeats a moored French fleet in Egypt
• 1801 April 5 Copenhagen: Nelson destroys moored Danish ships off Kobenhavn to prevent France taking them over
• 1801 July 6–12 Algeciras: French defeat initial English assault, English counter-attack and defeat French-Spanish force.
• 1805 October 21 Trafalgar: Nelson defeats combined French/Spanish fleet off south western Spain, losing his life but gaining control of the oceans for Britain for the rest of the war
• 1807 June 30 Lemnos (Athos): Russian fleet under Admiral Alexei Seniavin defeats Turks in Aegean
• 1807 September 2–7 Copenhagen: British land and sea forces under Admiral Gambier and General Cathcart capture Danish fleet
• 1812 July Lissa: British frigate fleet defeats superior French/Venetian fleet off Lissa (Vis) in the Adriatic Sea

War of 1812

• 1812 July 19 Sacket's Harbor: US turns back British naval attack
• 1812 August 19 USS Constitution (Isaac Hull) defeats HMS Guerrière
• 1812 October 18 Virginia: USS Wasp (Jacob Jones) defeats HMS Frolic
• 1812 October 25 USS United States (Stephen Decatur) captures HMS Macedonian
• 1812 December 29 USS Constitution (Bainbridge) destroys HMS Java
• 1813 May 28–29 Sacket's Harbor: US General Jacob Brown turns back British under Sir John Prevost
• 1813 June 1 Boston Harbor: HMS Shannon captures USS Chesapeake (Lawrence). Lawrence says: "Don't give up the ship"
• 1813 August 14 HMS Pelican captures Allen's USS Argus
• 1813 September 3 USS Enterprise captures HMS Boxer off New England Coast
• 1813 Lake Erie
• 1814 September 1 USS Wasp sinks HMS Avon
• 1814 Lake Champlain: and Plattsburg (September 11): US squadron under Thomas Macdonough defeats British under George Downie
• 1814 Plattsburg
• 1815 February 20 USS Constitution captures HMS Cyane and HMS Levant
• 1815 March 23 USS Hornet captures HMS Penguin

Later 19th century

• 1822 June 18–19 Chios: Greek rebel fleet under Constantine Kanaris defeats Turkish fleet of Kara Ali
• 1827 October 20 Navarino: British/French/Russian fleets, under Admirals Codrington, Rigny, and Heiden, destroy Turkish/Egyptian/Tunisian fleet of Tahir Pasha off south-west Greece
• 1833 July 5 Cape St Vincent: British fleet under Sir Charles Napier defeats fleet of Portuguese usurper Don Miguel
• 1853 October 30 Sinop: Russian battleships defeat Turkish frigates at Sinope, Turkey
• 1853 November 5: Russian steam frigate Vladimir defeats and captures Turkish steam frigate Pervas-Bahri
• 1862 March 8, 9 Hampton Roads
• 1864 February Eckernfjorde: Danish ships defeated and captured by Germany
• 1864 May 9 Helgoland: German/Austrian fleet defeats Danish fleet in North Sea
• 1864 June 19 Cherbourg: USS Kearsarge sinks CSS Alabama off Cherbourg
• 1864: Spain in various battles
• 1866 July 20 Second Battle of Lissa: Austrian Admiral von Tegetthoff rams and drives off superior Italian fleet under Persano
• 1879–1883 the War of the Pacific
• 1885 September Foochow: Small French squadron annihilates Chinese force at Foochow (Fuzhou)
• 1894 July Feng-tao Japan defeats China
• 1894 September Yalu River: Japan defeats Chinese off Korea
• 1898 May 1 Manila Bay
• 1898 July 3 Santiago de Cuba

Early 20th century

• 1904 Yellow Sea
• 1904 February 9 Varyag sinks
• 1905 May 27–28 Tsushima Straits: Japan easily defeats Russian fleet between Korea and Japan
• 1912 Dardanelles
• 1912 October Lemnos

World War I (1914–1918)

• 1914–1918 First Battle of the Atlantic
• 1914 August 28 Heligoland Bight
• 1914 November 1 Coronel: German cruisers under von Spee defeat British force off Chile
• 1914 December 8 Falkland Islands: British cruiser force all but wipes out von Spees squadron in South Atlantic
• 1915 January 24 Dogger Bank Blucher sunk by British battlecruisers in North Sea
• 1916 May 31–June 1 Jutland
• 1917 Raid on the Otranto Barrage

• 1919 British raid on Kronstadt

World War II (1939–1945)

• 1939–1945 Second Battle of the Atlantic
• 1939 December 13 River Plate
• 1940 July 3 Mers el-Kebir: British fleet attacks French fleet in harbour in Algeria
• 1940 July 9 Punta Stilo: British fleet attacks Italian fleet
• 1940 September 23 Dakar: British fleet supports a landing at Dakar
• 1940 November 1 Taranto: British fleet attacks Italians anchored at Taranto, inspiring the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
• 1940 November 27 Cape Spartivento (Cape Teulada): British fight back an Italian interception
• 1941 March 28 Cape Matapan: British fleet defeats Italian fleet
• 1941 May 24–27 Hunt for Bismarck
• 1941 December 7 Pearl Harbor
• 1941 December 17 First Syrte: Indecisive British-Italian fight off Libya
• 1942 February 27 Java Sea: Japanese destroy ABDA fleet
• 1942 March 22 Second Syrte
• 1942 May 8 Coral Sea
• 1942 June 4–5 Midway: US fleet sinks four Japanese carriers in western Pacific Ocean
• 1942 August 8 Savo Island: Japanese destroy a US cruiser force
• 1942 August 24 Eastern Solomons: Japanese aircraft carrier Ryuho sunk
• 1942 October 12 Cape Esperance
• 1942 October 26 Santa Cruz Islands: near Guadalcanal, USS Hornet sunk, but Japanese withdraw
• 1942 November 12–15 Guadalcanal: four days and nights of fighting
• 1942 November 30 Tassafaronga
• 1943 January 29 Rennell Island: USS Chicago lost
• 1943 March 26 Komandorski Islands: US cruiser force turns back a Japanese fleet
• 1943 November 2 Empress Augusta Bay
• 1943 December 26 North Cape: British ships sink Scharnhorst off northern Norway
• 1944 June 19 Philippine Sea: US shoots down hundreds of Japanese aircraft
• 1944 October 23–26 Leyte Gulf: Gigantic battle consisting of four main actions; in the Sibuyan Sea, Surigao Straits, off Samar, and off Cape Engano

After 1945

• 1964 Gulf of Tonkin
• 1971 December 9 Pakistani submarine Hangor sinks Indian frigate Kukri (first submarine sinking since World War II)
• 1982 May Falklands War