Battle of the Gulf of Cadiz ( 1604 ) The Battle of the Gulf of Cádiz was a naval action which occurred on 7 August 1604 , during the very last days of the Anglo - Spanish War ( 1585 – 1604 ) . The battle took place when a flotilla of two galleon s commanded by Antonio de Oquendo engaged two English privateers who were plundering shipping lanes and villages around the Gulf of Cádiz . One of the English ships was captured and the other damaged . Later in his life , Antonio de Oquendo led the Spanish fleet that was utterly defeated by the Dutch at the Battle of the Downs in 1639 . Oquendo ' s action off Cádiz is notable for having been fought just 21 days before the signing of the Treaty of London , which ended the protracted war between England and Spain . Spanish squadron at Lisbon . On early 1604 , 27 - year - old Spanish officer Antonio de Oquendo was appointed commander of a two - galleon flotilla based at Lisbon by his superior , Luis Fajardo , Captain General of the Spanish Ocean Fleet . Antonio was the son of Miguel de Oquendo , a fleet commander who died in October 1588 when his ship foundered off Pasajes , while coming back from the ill - fated campaign of the Armada Invencible . The goal of Oquendo ’ s small unit was to fight the Dutch , English and Moroccan privateers which threatened the shipping lanes along the western Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal . The squadron was made of the flagship " Delfín de Escocia " and the slightly smaller " Dobladilla " . On July 1604 , sea - traders and inhabitants from villages on the coast of Portugal and Andalusia reported a series of looting raids and attacks on shipping carried out by two privateers . The privateer flagship was a 500 ton vessel while the smaller warship was described as a fusta . Oquendo ’ s squadron departed from Lisbon on 15 July in search of the enemy . The engagement . The Spanish flotilla search the waters around Cape St . Vincent , Cape Santa María and Cádiz for more that 20 days , without results . On 7 August at dawn , however , they found the two ships in the Gulf of Cadiz , between them and the shore , identifying them as English . The larger privateer vessel suddenly approached and eventually grappled Oquendo ’ s flagship , and about 100 men boarded " Delfín de Escocia " . Oquendo , after two hours of fighting , managed to beat back the attackers , with many dead and wounded on both sides . The clash was fought almost entirely with blade weapons . Spanish reports claim that Oquendo ’ s men threw some of the English intruders overboard . The privateer tried to disengage and flee , but Oquendo led his crew to the assault , boarding the enemy ship and forcing the English commander to surrender . The other vessel , which had been badly battered by " Dobladilla " ’ s guns , fled at full sail and could not been stopped . The Spanish flagship was heavily damaged in the action , arriving at Cascais along with " Dobladilla " and their prey for repairs . Aftermath . While the galleons and the captured ship remained at Cascais , Fajardo ' s rivals let out the rumor that the squadron had suffered a disaster . All the doubts were swept away when Oquendo arrived to Lisbon , where he was given a triumphal reception . Captain General Luis Fajardo and King Philip III send letters of congratulation to him , marking the beginning of a notable naval career . Oquendo himself issued a list of prisoners and handed over the English commander to the authorities . He was also awarded the captured privateer as a prize . The sea lanes between Lisbon and Cadiz were cleared of hostile warships for a long time . References .